


Wild and Free

by LuxAndLight



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: A complete lack of cat puns I'm sorry, Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Blood and Injury, Brotherly Love, Kim Minseok | Xiumin-centric, MAMA Era Powers (EXO), Magical Violence, Main character has a crisis, Multi, Past OT12, Platonic Relationships, Self-Hatred, Tan | Kim Minseok's Cat - Freeform, past character deaths
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:09:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 38,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26078503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuxAndLight/pseuds/LuxAndLight
Summary: An encounter with the Red Force sends Minseok on an adventure in a different form.But with the past weighing heavily on his shoulders, it will certainly lead to an un-purr-getable experience!
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Kim Minseok | Xiumin, Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Kim Minseok | Xiumin, Kim Jongdae | Chen/Kim Minseok | Xiumin, Kim Jongin | Kai/Kim Minseok | Xiumin, Kim Junmyeon | Suho/Kim Minseok | Xiumin, Kim Minseok | Xiumin & Everyone, Kim Minseok | Xiumin/Everyone, Kim Minseok | Xiumin/Oh Sehun, Kim Minseok | Xiumin/Park Chanyeol, Kim Minseok | Xiumin/Zhang Yi Xing | Lay
Comments: 14
Kudos: 35
Collections: EXOventure Round 1 2020





	1. Sunset

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Exoventure, Map #107!
> 
> I might have taken a few liberties on the prompt, but I stuck to the main plot of it the best I could! A few videos about a certain wild cat doing stunts later and one thing had led to another :) 
> 
> Special thanks to my beta reader [Steph](https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawberryskies14/pseuds/strawberryskies14) for putting up with my despicable ass and supporting me throughout this whole ordeal. I love you <3
> 
> Now, heed the tags and hold on to your maps, you're in for a _wild_ ride!

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Minseok hums quietly to the tune of a song he heard Jongdae singing earlier in the day as he sashays towards a window, a small brown rag clutched lightly in one hand. Reaching out towards the glass, the male presses one finger on the surface before instinctively tapping into his core to release his abilities. He waits for a few seconds as a thin layer of frost begins spreading all over the window before vigorously wiping it with the rag, effectively removing all the dust clinging on the surface before moving on to the next one. 

Rinse and repeat.

Cleaning every nook and cranny of the household was taxing yet necessary to be done right, so that’s mostly the reason why Minseok was the right person for the job. His meticulous and routine-centered personality was a harsh contrast to his younger brothers’ spontaneity and impulsiveness, but that was a given since he built— _rebuilt_ , rather—his world in order and plans. Rebuilt from what, you may ask?

The War.

That’s what they named the battle that ended the century-long eclipse; the battle that they participated in as allies of the Tree of Life a mere two years ago, yet it felt like ages ago to the Frost Guardian. 

Everyone in Elyxion may say that they’re the victors of the battle and they have the full presence of the burning sun traveling across the sky every day to back up their claim, but with the aftermath of the chaos as well their losses to The War, had they really won?

Minseok looked down to take a glance at the snowflake pendant hanging off the woven thread of animal hair before closing his eyes with a sigh, only to startle himself right after when a sharp crack pierced through the otherwise silent atmosphere. Snapping his head up, the eldest ripped his hand away from the window and jumped back from shock, eyes scanning the frost that trailed up the walls and icicles hanging from the windowsill. 

He must have lost control. Again.

After willing away the ice with a simple gesture of his hand, Minseok’s focus landed on the small hairline crack that trailed one side of the glass to the other and he couldn’t help but sigh again, running his thumb along the surface of the damage before hiding it behind the curtain and away from any prying eyes, not that there were any at the moment. 

He shouldn’t let the others worry about something as trivial as a broken window, especially with the new moon coming tomorrow.

Ah, yes. This was where all their hard work was for; the night of the new moon. 

It was a monthly event that poses no real threat to Elyxion and its inhabitants, but with it being the closest replication to an eclipse, it grants the deathly loyal devotees of the Red Force as well as their ghastly allies some semblance of their powers’ full potential after it had been taken away by the Tree of Life. And thus, the Guardians had to prepare all the villages and towns in case of potential raids and rampages from the crimson-eyed monsters.

All nine of them have to spread around the lands to instruct every single one of the municipalities and be up to date on what was happening. They also need to check every single person in the cities along with their dwelling place in case one of them may be a Red-eye in disguise. It was necessary to avoid any inner uprising, but it was tedious work, for sure.

_Woosh!_

“We’re back!”

Taking one more glance at his mistake that was hidden from view, Minseok turned his back towards it and began moving to where the loud voice came from. If they were still on routine, then Junmyeon, Sehun, and Jongdae should be the first ones to return by now. 

And as expected, the mentioned three cheerfully walked in the front door, only to stop at Minseok’s reprimand of leaving their footwear outside their home.

“Yah! I’ll throw all of you out if I see at least one speck of dirt coming from your soles!” The eldest hissed, though his words were laced with no venom. “I almost broke my back cleaning this place up.”

“You must be getting old then, hyung!” The lightning-wielder replied without missing a beat, earning a dirty rag to the face, “Ah wae!? What was that for?”

“You’re lacking a bit of subtlety there, Dae.” Junmyeon chides, “Regardless, it’s still true. Sorry, Min.”

Another “Yah!” was heard before Minseok stomped towards the leader, who chose to hide behind the smiling youngest’s broad back with the latter doing nothing but shrug when he met Minseok’s exasperated gaze. 

As much as the eldest wants to throw some snowballs at all three of them, he knew that will only lead to a little scuffle that will mess up their common room, and so he chose to childishly stick out his tongue at the laughing trio before shooing the youngest two off to their rooms for them to clean it up on their own.

“I’ve still got a few more windows left to clean and then I’m all done,” Minseok reports, jokingly giving a salute before Junmyeon waves him off. “I’ve also visited my post earlier and the governor has it all under control. Exodus is all set.”

The smile Junmyeon had quickly faded into a frown at the mention of the town, “You got that earlier in the morning, right?” 

If the leader’s tone wasn’t concerning enough, the man raking his fingers through his platinum-blonde hair had definitely alerted Minseok. It was Junmyeon’s habit to do that whenever he was stressed, but although the next night was an important event, he didn’t usually do that until the following afternoon.

“Yeah, why?”

Junmyeon sighed, “Patrol from Exoluxion spotted a known Red Force official running towards Mt. Exodus.”

The eldest hums for a moment, masking his apprehension under a contemplative look. As much as he knew how serious this issue was to them, with the reports of the Red Force and their whereabouts always coming _after_ the new moon, he knew panicking in front of Junmyeon will only make him more stressed.

“Did he steal anything?” he asks.

“A few bottles of whiskey and some crystals from a witch based on their report. There were other claims of more precious valuables stolen, but none of them were credible enough so the guards brushed them off as the work of the usual thieves.” 

“Must be a misstep on their part for getting seen. They’re really getting sloppy.” Minseok tsks as he picks up the rag he threw at Jongdae. “If he’s truly a seasoned member of the Red Force, then he would have probably hidden at the summit of the mountain or something. I can start scaling it tomorrow morning.”

“What? No!” Now it was Junmyeon’s turn to be alarmed, “This may be the first proper sighting of those rogues, but you know we have a busy day tomorrow! We can’t have some of us leave their post to climb that mountain.”

“I could just go on my own, you know. I know the cave system in that mountain like the back of my hand.” Minseok rolls his eyes. “Besides, Mt. Exodus is part of my post. It should be no one’s problem but mine.”

“But what if an entire battalion’s camping up there? It could be a trap!”

“‘Myeon.” Minseok turns and places both hands on each of Junmyeon’s shoulders. “I know what I’m going up against, but they don’t. Mt. Exodus has my element, remember?”

“I know, I know, but we still have-”

_Woosh!_

Minseok and Junmyeon were both startled when three people suddenly materialized between them, one of them carrying another additional person who seemed to be out of commission. The eldest barely had time to register Jongin’s apology before he disappeared once more, leaving the two conscious individuals standing in the room in a daze. 

Waving his hand in front of him, Minseok cleared some of the dust that came with the apparition and was surprised to see Kyungsoo and Chanyeol back so early, an unconscious Baekhyun in the latter’s arms. 

A large spike of dread shot up the eldest male’s spine once he began to take in what was happening, and seeing the light-wielder’s unmoving form sent a myriad of unwanted memories flashing through his eyes. Taking a step back, Minseok blinked the images away and grounded himself in their current situation.

 _Breathe, Minseok. You can’t fail them this time._

Opening his eyes, Minseok didn’t place any of his focus in the broken routine (and dirty floors) as he helped the tall male set the Light Guardian down on one of their couches, propping his feet up with a few pillows. With one chilly breath, the atmosphere in the room settled on a much cooler temperature.

“What happened here?” Junmyeon was the first one to speak, “Don’t tell me the Red Force had the gall to-”

“Hyung, it wasn’t them! Everything’s all fine.” Chanyeol turns towards the leader and tries to reason with him, “Baekkie just pushed himself too much again. Those light spheres of his took a toll on his energy and he fainted.”

“Who fainted?”

Glancing to their right, all of them gave a collective sigh of relief when Jongin finally appeared with Yixing in tow, the healer wasting no time to rush to Baekhyun’s side with his palms already glowing a light pink hue. Minseok slides next to the kneeling man to watch him do his thing with rapt attention before Yixing finishes off his work by ruffling Baekhyun’s auburn hair.

“I’ve managed to replenish Baek’s energy, but he still needs some rest.” He recommends, “He should wake up by at least tomorrow morning, give or take.”

Lifting up the male once again, Chanyeol profusely thanked Yixing before leaving to go to their room and give the boy some proper rest on his bed. Kyungsoo and Yixing rolled their eyes at the protective Fire Guardian and turned to Junmyeon to report about their day, but the elder waved them off.

“All of you should get some time off too.” The Water Guardian states, patting a sitting Jongin on the shoulder as thanks for his efforts, “It’s been a long day and we have an even longer one tomorrow.”

Once the three youngest in the room had gone to their own respective bedrooms, Minseok felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders knowing that all his brothers were now safe and sound in the home. In an attempt to take his mind off what just happened, Minseok takes one look at the floor and instantly grimaces.

As he stared hard at the dirt lining the once-clean (and waxed!) floor, Junmyeon offered a small apologetic smile for comfort.

“At least Baekhyun’s alright now,” says Minseok, trying his best to sound indifferent as he moves towards one of their cabinets. “We’ll just have to use more candles this month, right ‘Myeon?”

After pulling out the beige wax molds, Junmyeon’s eyes suddenly lit up, “Oh! I’ve been looking for those! We’ll be needing candles tomorrow for the memorial.”

Minseok’s grin turns into a confused expression, “Memorial?”

“It’s our three brothers’ second anniversary.” Junmyeon responds, brows furrowing, “You didn’t forget, didn’t you?”

“Oh...well, there were a lot of things to think about today.” The eldest tried to let out a chuckle, but ended up wheezing instead, “It just...it didn’t cross my mind, that’s all.”

“And so you forgot?”

Knowing that he can’t lie to Junmyeon now, Minseok dropped his façade and scrunched his nose at the reply, “Well, I mean, I’m still going to Mt. Exodus tomorrow, right? We haven’t seen the Red Force in a while, so what if they’re planning something?”

The Frost Guardian expects Junmyeon to just drop it at that, but unfortunately, the latter only narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms.

“Min, the first and last time you visited was when we held the ceremony,” Junmyeon retorts, “But even that was questionable since you busied yourself by leading the security team around the parameters. _I_ had to send them off when it should have been the _eldest._ ”

“It was for our protection, ‘Myeon. Besides, you’re our leader.” Minseok waves him off before turning away from the other to leave, but he was stopped when he felt a hand gently land on his shoulder, making him sigh, “Look Jun, I’m just trying my best to protect all of you and this interrogation isn’t really-”

“Have you gotten over it?”

The eldest paused, taken aback by the sudden question before swiveling around to face the younger, “Of course, it’s been two years. We all had to move on at some point.”

“Those are two different things, Minseok.”

“And that’s hyung to you, Junmyeon.” The eldest huffed, “Look, I appreciate the concern but it isn’t really necessary.”

“Then why are you so afraid?” Junmyeon snaps, “You haven’t grieved properly since _their_ sacrifice and then you avoid the topic like the plague. That doesn’t sound like you’ve moved on to me.”

Minseok narrows his eyes at the leader, “I have, and I’m going to that mountain tomorrow whether you’ll allow me to or not. I’ll find out what’s going on with the Red Force and I’ll put an end to their plan before it even begins. I’m not letting you all down again, I swear on my _life_.”

Unfortunately for him, Junmyeon is just as adamant as he is. Reaching out towards Minseok’s chest, the leader caressed his thumb over the silver pendant’s rough surface before sighing, “This isn’t healthy, Min. You need to get this guilt out of your chest.”

Minseok stiffened when he felt the hand move up and brush over the thread of his necklace before flinching away from the touch, “I’m fine.”

“You need to let go of the past-”

“I said I’m _fine!”_

Minseok held his glare towards the other for a moment before breaking his gaze once he saw the other gasp and take a step back. Looking around, Minseok can see the sharp icicles forming along the walls as well as snow starting to fall from above and he couldn’t help but take a deep breath and deflate. Raising his arm, the Frost Guardian wordlessly commanded the ice to return to its master and it disappeared as quickly as it came, leaving the two males to wallow in the silence of the room.

Thrusting the pack of candles towards the other, Minseok swiftly moved past him before he could even get a word out, not that the leader could after his outburst. Taking a quick glance behind him, the eldest could see Junmyeon’s figure hunch in defeat before he turned back to look at where he was going just as guilt threatened to tear into his heart.

He’ll just clean the floors again tomorrow.

“Are you _sure_ you don’t need any help?”

Minseok rolls his eyes fondly at the question before reaching up to ruffle Jongin’s hair, making him shy away with a screech. They’ve been doing this back-and-forth for ten entire minutes now but the younger either wasn’t convinced with his hyung’s answers or he thinks that if he does it long enough, the eldest would relent and allow him to tag along. Unfortunately, Minseok was determined to keep his mission a solo one.

“I’ll be fine.” Minseok slaps the taller’s arm when he resorted with a pout, “Oh, don’t give me that look! You don’t even like the cold anyway.”

“But I like you, hyung!” Jongin tries to reason, clinging onto the shorter’s arm even though some of the townspeople were staring at them weirdly. The younger was all about keeping his cool and charismatic reputation spotless years ago, but now he just enjoys being himself even if there are other people watching. 

But it’s not like there are many people outside their homes either. Exodus isn’t all that busy at the crack of dawn, for their buzz usually starts around late morning to high noon, so it was easier for the Guardians to go to the marketplace or do their errands in the town before the rooster's crow. As much as the others disliked waking up early, it was better than getting crowded around by the ecstatic townspeople.

“I’ll just accompany you to the summit, please?” Jongin tries once more, deepening his pout when the other shakes his head vehemently.

“You need to go back to your post, Nini.” Minseok pries his arm out of his grip before letting his hand settle on Jongin’s shoulder, “Besides, aren’t you going to transport your brothers to the memorial?”

“It’s, like, a few blocks away from our house, hyung! Surely we’re all fit enough to walk there without losing our breaths.” he grumbles, “Aren’t you going there too? Why are you scaling up Mt. Exodus in the first place?”

“Junmyeonnie told me some Red-eyes were spotted going up the mountain,” Minseok responds, glancing up to see the rock formation in the distance, “I’m going there to check it out.”

Jongin gasps, “Really? You must need me for back-up, then! They might have something up their sleeve and you need a quick escape! Who knows?”

The elder chuckles at his attempts to persuade him to let him join as he pats his brother’s arm affectionately, “It’s just a quick scale, Nini. It’s not like I’m going to infiltrate their base or anything. Besides, they don’t know I’m coming there, so let’s just say I have the _high ground_.”

Jongin groans at the pun, swatting away Minseok’s hand as the latter continues giggling at his own joke. But before the younger can whine at his hyung, a rooster’s crow pierced through the air, followed by another, signaling that it was just about time before the townspeople began their daily routine. The Frost Guardian opens his mouth to bid the other farewell but the other had beat him to it.

“So, I’ll just leave you to it, hyung.” Jongin says, smiling sheepishly at the other before reaching his hand out, “You can still change your mind and pay a visit.”

Minseok responds to the gesture with a gummy grin before he takes a step back, “Perhaps, but not today.”

Jongin sighs before he puts his arm down and, with a small wave, materializes away, leaving the elder to his own devices. 

In an attempt to pick his mood back up from the disappointed gaze of the younger, Minseok turns and enters the town’s entranceway with the mission solely on his mind, busying himself with a mental checklist of things to do. Flipping up his hood, he navigates through the twists and turns of the place as discreetly as possible, knowing that getting recognized now will lead to more delays.

Thankfully, there were noticeably fewer creatures walking around the streets during the rush time, but that was a given considering it will be the new moon’s night later on and the locals are currently busy fortifying their house. Minseok was sure that he had completed his inspection yesterday with nothing to suggest for improvement, but one can never be too sure of how the Red Force will play their hand this time. 

It was better safe than sorry.

“Minseok!”

Startled, the Frost Guardian instinctively whirled around, keeping his head bowed to hide his face as his eyes momentarily strained to find whoever called him. Unfortunately, the people within the vicinity also heard the call and began looking for the Guardian, quiet mutterings sounding through the area as the few individuals conversed. Minseok couldn’t help but scrunch his nose in disdain as he would probably need to move out of the town swiftly, lest the gossip of his arrival spread like wildfire.

Ducking his head to avoid the searching gazes of the people, Minseok slinked away into a narrow alleyway, silently thankful for his years of training to quieten his footfalls and move as inconspicuously as possible. But before he turned around to continue his walk, a hand appeared in front of him and flicked his forehead, making him jump back with a muted scream, hand immediately encased in ice to defend himself from his attacker. 

But instead of finding the shadowy beasts that often plagued his nightmares, a petite girl stood in front of him, a feline grin matching with the grayish-black tail swaying playfully behind her

“For MAMA’s sake, Tan! I told you not to do that anymore!” he yapped, shaking his hand to get rid of the protective layer of ice. “And that’s Guardian Xiumin to you.”

“You and I know that _everyone_ in this town calls you by your birth name, ‘Seokkie.” purrs Tan, her ears flickering happily the more Xiumin gets agitated. “Besides, me being the captain of the guards and your best friend automatically gives me the right to call you that, right?”

“Keep dreaming, kit.” Minseok rolls his eyes before softly ruffling the other’s short ebony hair, making Tan shy away with a hiss. Leave it to his best friend to abuse any power she has over the other, but he does admit that he’s also played a part in why it was so. He’s been spoiling her a bit _too_ much over the years, but the girl proved herself to be just as feisty as the Guardian is. Her status as the head of the security speaks for itself.

“So why, of all the days, are you here?” asks Tan, lazily playing with the frayed edges of her sleeves. “I’ve already attended to the lack of lighting in the streets if you were wondering.”

“No, no, it’s not that.” Minseok responds, eyeing the path of the alleyway shortly before turning to the shorter. “Just important Guardian business.”

“Is it more important than paying a visit to your brothers?”

The Frost Guardian frowns at her straightforwardness but otherwise makes no effort to reply. Instead, he turns around to resume his walk, barely hearing the almost silent footfalls of the other behind him. “Don’t you have anything else to do? Spar with your men maybe?”

“I do whatever I want, ‘Seokkie.” Tan singsongs, unfazed by Minseok’s lack of response as her soft voice fleeted past the narrow path that twists through the town. “What about you? Where are you running off to this time?”

“You wound me, you know? I’m just going for a stroll.”

Minseok could hear a quiet exhale leave Tan before she spoke again.

“You’re not the type of person to go on leisure walks, ‘Seok.” she replies, and Minseok could almost feel the pressure of her narrowed gaze burning intently on the nape of his neck, “But knowing what today means to you and your brothers, I wouldn’t put it past you this time.”

The Guardian felt himself stop on his tracks and let out a dry chuckle, “Have I told you that you’re the greatest friend I’ll ever have?”

“Plenty of times, but please stop changing the subject.” 

A dark blur zoomed past Minseok from behind and, before he could even blink, Tan stood in front of him, arms crossed in a strict manner. Although the feisty soldier was two years younger than the other, Minseok could still feel the intimidating aura radiating from his best friend, something he wasn’t used to despite living with her before he was called to be a Guardian. “You can’t keep going like this, Min.”

The elder sighs, “Save it, kit. I've already gotten the talk from Junmyeon-"

"That you're completely disregarding." Tan spoke sharply, "I know you, ‘Seok. You're a hard-headed bastard. An altruistic one, but stubborn nonetheless."

"Then you must know that I don't _do_ trivial things." The Frost Guardian scoffs, "Going there will not do anyone good and you know it."

"Trivial? Are they _that_ unimportant to you?"

"What? Of course not! Just—I...let me rephrase that." Minseok sighed, pushing past the younger to resume his trek to the other side of the town. "It's just...the timing wasn't right and there are much more important things to do.”

“Like what?”

Minseok didn’t even bother turning towards the other. “Red-eyes were spotted going to Mt. Exodus."

Even with his back turned towards the other, the elder can picture the hybrid’s ears raising in alert at the news. Tan’s attention shifts from the ice slowly forming on her tunic from where he brushed past her and moves her focus on Minseok’s statement. “The Red Force? Here?”

“Nothing’s been confirmed yet, but I’m planning to scale the mountain today.” 

"Alone?"

"The others are busy in their own posts." The Guardian responds, turning to his side to squeeze through the very narrow path. He hadn’t realized the alleyway began to tighten, but nonetheless, he managed to wedge through and force his way out. "It's a matter of convenience."

"A matter of deranged selflessness, more like it."

Minseok kept silent as they passed through the archway of the town’s other exit, the path to the mountain ahead of them. But just before they pass under the arch, an elf on patrol suddenly comes up to them to talk to the Head Guard. Minseok couldn’t hear what he was saying, but judging by how her tail began lashing in agitation, he knew it was important. 

Tan looks at the menacing shadow looming in the distance and at the patrolman before releasing a sigh, her lithe hand settling on the Minseok’s shoulder.

"As much as I would love to come with you and scratch those bastards into shreds, unfortunately, duty calls." She took a few moments to stare at the elder before sighing. “You _do_ know that you don’t have to do this all alone, right?”

“The less people, the less casualties.” Minseok shrugs, earning a hard punch on the shoulder, “Ow! What? I _am_ the hyung, Tan. The safety of my brothers rests on me.”

Minseok takes a step back before meeting the head guard’s almond-shaped eyes with his determined gaze, “I know that what I’m doing may look selfish, but it’s more productive than moping around all day in their memorial.”

Tan frowns and hits the other’s shoulder once again, “You’re an idiot, you know that?”

Before the male could retort, the smaller had already pulled him into a hug, "Just...take care of yourself, okay?"

Minseok ignores the ache in his joint and returns the embrace with a smile, "I'll try my best, kit."

Breaking away from his hold, Tan rolls her eyes at his vague statement before she turns back towards the town, sending a two-finger salute just before she turns the corner and disappears out of Minseok's sight. The Frost Guardian let his gaze linger towards Exodus for a few more seconds before turning his sights towards the large rocky mass.

"Here we go."

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The golden rays of the late noon sun glazed over Minseok’s cloaked back as he trekked through the beaten path on the side of the mountain, eyes wandering towards the horizon for a moment to take in the breathtaking view of the walled town of Exodus before carrying on with his walk. Despite not having climbed the snow-capped mountain for more than a decade, the male still remembers every single trail to take to the top.

He had not seen any associates of the Red Force yet, but he did gather a few clues along the way. While the pieces of tattered cloth and large claw marks do not immediately deduce that it was a Red-Eye’s doing, the dark chalk-like streaks on the rocky walls and nearby trees hit the nail on the head. There were only a few creatures that left such shadowy marks in their wake, but all of them had allied with the Red Force prior to The War.

“What—?”

Minseok snapped out of his thoughts just before he walked himself off a cliff, his instincts forcing him to jump backward and examine the area before making any rash decisions. Unfortunately, this is where the trail stopped, years of erosion being the culprit of the large gap in the path. Minseok knew that it would be impossible for him to jump to the other side, and there seemed to be no vines to help him build a bridge himself.

But who needs a bridge anyway?

Settling his hands on the rocky side of the mountain, Minseok tapped into his core and began creating a thick layer of ice on the surface, the almost transparent hue shining in the afternoon light. And with a quick slide of his palms upwards, the ice obeyed his command and shot towards the summit, creating a narrow trail of frost on the jagged plane.

Satisfied with his creation, Minseok pressed his hands on the ice once more and began his ascension, the dull blue light coming from his palms signifying that he could stick to the frozen surface without slipping. Putting one hand after the other, he mimics the actions of rock climbing, but the more he thinks about it, the more he realizes he looks like a lizard climbing up a wall.

Minseok chuckles nonetheless. The ebony-haired man enjoys taxing exercises such as this. The burn in his arms from his efforts gives him a sense of accomplishment and power as soon as he completes it, the lingering feeling being a solid reminder that he did _that_. With the high winds whipping his clothes and black hair around the place, he felt relieved.

He felt free.

"Halt! Who goes there?"

Minseok lifted himself up the ice-covered ledge just in time to see an unfamiliar man clad in light armor and a too-large helmet coming towards him, hand tightly clasped on the hilt of his sword as he approached him warily. Even as exhaustion started to creep beneath his skin, the Guardian straightened himself before the man, an aura that commands respect rolling off of him in waves. 

Suddenly, recognition flashed across the man's face (or the bottom part of it anyway, seeing that his helmet covered the upper half) before he violently flinched, the action costing his balance as he almost toppled off the ledge if it weren't for Minseok's fast reflexes, the latter’s hand shooting out to grasp the rough brown tunic and pull him back to safety.

"Guardian Xiumin!" The man gasped once he got his bearings, body turning to form a low bow, "Apologies for my rash behavior, but I was expecting not one soul up this mount."

"Everything's all right, I have anticipated the same,” Minseok waves him off, returning the greeting with a short bow of his own, “But I must request your business here on my domain. I believe I haven’t seen you in our ranks before."

"Ah, I'm part of the new patrol, sir." The man responds, keeping his head bowed respectfully, "The governor deployed us immediately after our training in the camps."

“Oh? So you must come from different towns, then.” Minseok comments, giving the man a once-over to check for any badges or patches that signifies the town he’s working in

“Oh no, I was born and raised in Exodus, sir.” Was the patrol guard’s immediate reply, “Though, I enlisted earlier than most men my...”

The guard abruptly trailed off, his head turning away from Minseok slightly, but it was enough to catch the Guardian’s attention. Minseok shot the man a confused look, but as the corner of his eye caught the latter’s hand inching closer to his sword, the frost-wielder immediately sensed that something was wrong.

Going with his instinct, Minseok swiveled around and swiftly drove his arms forward, a subzero light-blue beam materializing from his hands before it was discharged at whatever was behind him. Minseok heard an ear-piercing shriek first before he was able to see it; a smoke-like blob hovering a mere few feet away from him with a large hole in its side, presumably from his attack. 

Startled, the shadowy amalgamation screeched once more before it retreated towards a nearby cave, its body blending in with the darkness.

“Shadow Beast,” The Guardian muttered, breathing heavily to catch his breath from the intensity he placed in the strike, “Come on! We’ve got to-!”

Everything happened too fast. 

Just as Minseok was about to turn back to the other man, he barely caught a silver handle being unsheathed before he felt a sharp blow on the side of his head. It wasn’t enough to render him unconscious immediately, but he was knocked down to his side, helplessly blinking back the stars and the dark spots that slowly appeared from the corners of his vision.

Minseok barely registered the deep chuckle permeating through the area from the ringing in his ears before he saw a pair of steel-tipped boots walking leisurely towards him. Looking up, the last thing he saw was the man removing his helmet to reveal his shining crimson orbs before he pulled back his leg and slammed his boot against his temple.

_“Are you sure this is still your domain?”_

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Minseok’s head throbbed to the sound of the booming cheers coming from all around him, the thunderous noise only getting more rambunctious as he feebly turned to his side. Slowly prying his eyes open, the dim lighting of the place courtesy of a few fire-lit lanterns thankfully did not contribute to his pounding temple, yet did nothing to ease the pit growing in his stomach. Where in Elyxion was he?

The white noise in his ears had prevented him from deciphering what they were saying, but once his vision finally cleared, he was unable to contain the curse from leaving his lips when his eyes landed on the mass of Red-eyes surrounding him. A vast majority of them were humans clad in maroon cloaks, but he knew that different creatures of the Dark were lurking around in the corners and crevices. Always watching.

“Quite a potty mouth you have there, Guardian.” He hears one of them sneer

Feeling nothing restraining his arms or legs, Minseok slowly got back on his feet, swaying slightly to the side before he corrected his posture as best as he could. He has learned to show as little emotion as possible to the enemy, yet the Guardian can’t help but snarl when he realized that the Red-eye that stood behind a makeshift podium was the one disguised as a patrol guard. 

He looked a lot less youthful and his wrinkled features certainly showed his age, yet the bright shade of his orbs that differs from every other creature in the room was impossible to forget.

He was their leader.

How can he be so stupid? The bastard could have waved red flags in the air and he still wouldn’t notice it! Minseok could feel his anger at himself starting to simmer in the pit of his stomach, growing stronger as each second ticks by with the Red-eyes hooting and hollering at him like a fucking circus animal. Clenching his fists, Minseok drove his hand forward with an enraged shout and—

Nothing happens.

The jovial shouts of the audience turn into sheer, unadulterated laughter as Minseok freezes in place, the male slowly pulling back his hand with a confused expression before he repeatedly propels one arm forward after the other, the guffaw only increasing in volume as he desperately tries to tap into his power and fill the cavern with sleet and snow. But no matter how much he calls to his abilities, the rush of power stops abruptly just beneath the surface of his skin and leaves him breathless.

“It’s not gonna work, snowflake.” The leader purrs. “Try as much as you want, but our neutralizing charm in this cave won’t allow you to make anything more than a cool breeze.”

The wrinkled man’s eye shined with malice, “But now that I’ve got your attention, why don’t you take a look at where you’re standing, hmm?”

Burning curiosity won out his spite for the man as Minseok lowered his head and took in the rust-colored lines marring the rocky floor, the strange markings drawn in between vaguely familiar to the frost-wielder, yet he can’t seem to fully identify—wait. 

Spinning around in place, Minseok began to recognize where he was standing, and the danger currently he was in, for it was none other than a ritual circle.

Eyes widening, the Guardian broke into a sprint and tried to leap outside the ring, yet he was pulled back to the center when a shadowy tendril shot out of the darkness and wrapped itself around his wrist, followed by another, then another. 

Soon, all Minseok could do was helplessly struggle as the shadowy restraints that restricted his limbs kept him on his knees, the sound of mocking laughter only fueling his fire before he began spitting curses left and right, words being his only ammunition as he tried to struggle and break free from the strong grip of the shadows. Unfortunately, even that proved to be futile as it only amused the Red-eyes even more, throwing back his words in jeers until he resorted to keeping silent, eyes holding nothing but sheer rage.

“Silence!” 

The audience immediately quietened as their leader hissed out the command, eyeing Minseok with a malevolent smirk before going back to address the crowd, “It’s an honor for one of EXO to join us on this merry occasion. Isn’t that right, boys?”

A chorus of affirmation echoed through the cavern before the man continued, “Yes, so generous of him to grant us his presence...on the night of the new moon!”

Minseok growled as he lurched forward, the living shadow ropes tightening their hold on him to keep him from breaking free, “Cut the crap! What are you on about?!”

“I didn’t expect you to be this slow, little one, but this is such a good opportunity that shouldn’t be wasted.” The Red-eye leader’s smile widened as he leaned on the podium, his eyes shining straight into the frost-wielder’s soul, “After all, the blood and flesh of a Guardian is worth an entire army, is it not?” 

Minseok froze, his heart leaping up his throat. “What—”

“The moon has peaked in the horizon!” The Red-eye cut off. “Let the ritual commence!”

The Frost Guardian struggled wildly in his bonds as the first line of Red Force’s affiliates, the ones closest to the circle, began chanting in a language Minseok didn’t recognize. From the corner of his eye, he caught the maroon symbols starting to dully glow, and the festering scent of blood began to permeate through the air.

As much as the frost-wielder would squirm in place, the tight tendrils would just not budge. Not even a moment later, his legs started to grow weak and go numb, his muscles clenching painfully for about half a second before it relaxed without his own accord. He felt like his own abilities were being used against him and he was beginning to lose hope.

It was at that moment Minseok felt true panic grip at his heart, its sharp nails tearing through his calm facade and spreading the vile venom of reality through his veins to his mind. He was being sacrificed in exchange for the Red Force’s fallen army and he was powerless to stop it. On the verge of a total mental breakdown, he couldn’t restrain himself from cackling along to the jeers and chants of the men and creatures watching. It was almost poetic, now that he thinks about it, seeing that he’s about to die in one of the caves of the very mountain he was born on.

Minseok abruptly stilled, tilting his head upwards to gaze at the stalactites hanging from above. He was literally below the summit; _below_ his birthplace.

Below the mounds of ice and snow.

He still has a chance in this.

Taking a few deep breaths to calm the wild beating of his heart, the ebony-haired male emptied his mind in preparation before squeezing his eyes shut, his clenched fists almost shaking from the intensity of his desperation to reach his element above. The chants around him began growing louder and louder as more followers joined in on the mantra and he could feel the numbness spread from his legs to the lower half of his body, yet he forced himself to ignore the reminders of his impending doom and focus on his goal. 

_This is still my domain._

A scream suddenly disrupted the chant and it took everything Minseok had not to turn his attention to the anomaly. The Guardian could hear a deep rumble from overhead, he could _feel_ his abilities resonating with the frost that crowned Mt. Exodus, yet he knew that wasn’t enough. He needs to find a link; something to take hold of with all his might and solidify his grasp on his element.

“What is happening?!” The leader cries out, struggling to stay on his feet as the ground begins to shake intensely. Glaring at all his frozen men fearfully looking at him for guidance, the leader slammed his fists on the stone podium with a snarl, “What are you all looking at? Get back to the ritual!”

Turning to their captive, the leader points a crooked finger in his direction, “I’ve had just about enough of you brats ruining my plans!” He pulls out the ritual dagger from his belt. It was supposed to be used after the mantras were finished to complete the ritual, but it looks like the event needs to be cut short. “It’s time for you to meet your wretched brothers, little one.”

Minseok bellowed out a roar. Their vile group was the cause of his and his younger brothers’ misery and they had the gall to mock their fallen members’ name in the presence of the eldest? Frigid anger coursed through his veins before it transformed into raw power that took his system into overdrive. 

Snapping his eyes open, bright cyan light streamed from his orbs and lit up the entire cavern. The dark tendrils that served as his restraints snaked away from him before flailing to the ground, disappearing into dark ash as the light penetrated their very being. The leader watched in awe and fear as the male stood up with ease, the latter’s murderous glare fixed on only one individual in the place. 

"Is it time for me to meet mine?"

Minseok raises his hand above his head just as the leader lifts his weapon and, within the moment of a stalemate, the former reveals a smirk when he finds exactly what he’s looking for.

“Or you to meet yours?”

Squeezing his hand into a fist, Minseok grabs onto the link and _pulls,_ slamming his hand back down to the ground and making the cavern’s ceiling crack and cave in as the frost from the summit complied with its master’s command. With the environment disrupted and the charm broken, Minseok started creating a protective ice dome around himself to protect himself from the oncoming onslaught.

“Wretched boy! You won’t get away with this!”

Glancing up, Minseok barely caught sight of the leader hurling the knife towards him before the roof had finally burst open with a blizzard's worth of snow, burying every single living being in a flurry of frost and stone.


	2. New Beginnings

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All he felt was heat.

For the entirety of his life, Minseok always wore the cold like it was his second skin, for it was the only constant he held on for most of his time as a Guardian of Elyxion. So much so that what is the regular climate for him is freezing for the others. No matter how many articles of clothing he wears, nothing will ever remove the frigid sensation that seeps into his bones. Thus, when he started to feel an unknown shift of temperature around him, he immediately sensed that something was wrong.

There was still the familiar frigidness in the air, but the chill didn’t mix well with him like it used to. It prickled his skin instead of giving him comfort, leaving him with an itchy feeling that he can’t reach nor know when it will go away. He felt unsettlingly warm, and oddly so since he wasn’t supposed to be _warm_ in the first place. 

He was the keeper of winter, an epitome of frost, and whatever name that coincides with the very feeling of being cold!

But speaking of an itch, Minseok currently has one right on his nose. As much as he wanted to continue his inner monologue, something was dripping down onto his face and it was getting a bit bothersome. 

However, just as he brushed his hand across his face, he realized that the entire surface was covered with fur...and that his hand wasn't a hand anymore.

Quickly snapping his eyes open, the first thing Minseok saw was blurry darkness. But as soon as his vision became more and more clear, he could suddenly pinpoint the recognizable shine of ice in front of him, his reflection becoming definite in his eyes. Minseok froze in place, blinking a few times in case it was all an illusion, yet no matter how much he squints, it was still the same creature staring back at him with chocolate-brown eyes:

A Snow Leopard.

Maybe it was just a trick of the light? A particular Light Guardian liked playing jokes and pranks on his brothers, after all. The last time he did so was when he thought it would be hilarious to trick the eldest into thinking that the living room had a hurricane blow through it, but it was safe to say that he got an angry hyung chasing after him all day. 

But the moment that he realized that his arm could only go so far away from the side of his body before a jolt of pain shot through his shoulder and his hand going into his line of sight to reveal an actual _furry paw_ , he thought to himself that maybe it wasn't an illusion after all.

Getting back up on his feet—err, paws (he had four now?!), Minseok tried recalling his last memories before he became _this,_ though it was a bit troubling since he had to consider that his core balance was utterly fucked now with two more feet added in the equation, with also _a_ _tail_ _how can-_

'Snap out of it, Minseok!' he growled to himself, 'Get yourself together and think!'

Looking around, the small boulders and snow that crashed through the half-broken ice dome helped him recall that he was on a solo mission to scale Mt. Exodus, which was followed by the thought that it had all been a trap and he was about to be sacrificed for…for something.

Minseok shook his head and tried to get more information out of himself, but the more he thought about it, the more his head started to hurt, leaving him to wonder how he was turned into this beast. Was it something he did? 

He vaguely remembered doing something to disrupt the ritual, which explained the cold white mess seeping into the dome, but if he really prevented its completion, then nothing would have happened in the first place! He wouldn’t have been sacrificed nor turned into another creature against his own will, yet at least one of those choices had happened to him. 

Minseok felt like bashing his head on the ice in frustration, but ultimately made the choice of stepping back and taking a breather. He would not give the Red Force the satisfaction of seeing him fall apart. There is no changing the past now.

After he got a few shreds of his sanity back, Minseok turns to the blocked opening of the dome and starts walking towards it, his loose pants and shredded shirt coming off as he did so. He tries shimmying off his blue cloak next but, despite how much he shook his head and pawed at it, the clasp held steadfastly. One problem at a time, then.

Minseok focused back on the task at hand and took a few baby steps forward with all four of his legs, expecting it to be much more difficult, but apart from the slight sting on his shoulder and the occasional stumbles when his tail turned the wrong way, his body seems to have it under control. Now all he needs to do is—

“Is anybody still in here?!”

The feline paused and felt his ears turn towards the yell as it echoed through the area, his head only following a few seconds after. He then picked up another voice responding to the cry, but it was incomprehensible muttering even with his sensitive hearing. Had his brothers come to check on him and found this catastrophe instead? Or were they members of the Red Force who survived the avalanche? 

Whether it be one or the other, there were living people in the cave.

Not wanting to waste any more time, Minseok flexed his paws and pounced on the opening of the dome that was blocked by the snow, trying to find a way out of the confined area. And just like that, the digging had commenced.

It started awkwardly at first, with the man-turned-feline flattening the mixture of dirty snow under his forepaws instead of flinging it away as he experimented on different techniques, but after a few more tries and the occasional snow pelting his face, he managed to get the right approach to a T.

Soon his forelegs weren’t the only ones who needed to kick the snow away as he started burrowing straight through the frigid mound, but after bumping with large boulders a few too many times, Minseok turned his snout and began tunneling upwards in a diagonal trajectory. 

He could feel the pads on his feet start going numb from the cold and his breaths shortening into quick pants from his efforts, but before he was about to pass out from lightheadedness, he felt his head finally break through the exterior of the snow hill, having managed to climb a good distance away from the top.

The air wasn’t any warmer than it was inside the icy cocoon, but at least breathing wasn’t as taxing to do anymore. As he pulled himself out of his tunnel, Minseok felt himself shiver, glancing down at himself to see his cloak wet and weighing him down. Ignoring the annoyance bubbling in his gut, he tries to focus on his shivering instead. He still had a long way to go before he could get accustomed to the need to be warm, but hey, that meant he was still alive, right?

His eyesight is somewhat faring better than his body temperature though, with it adjusting from the almost pitch black darkness to a dimly lit cavern in a matter of a few blinks. Minseok wasn't surprised that the source of the light was from the hole he made on the ceiling, but he sort of expected it to be much larger. Nonetheless, it was a menacing gap from above that he created as part of a risky last resort that almost cost his life in an attempt to stop the Red Force.

Fortunately, though, his near-death experience was not left in vain as he scanned the ruined cavern half-filled with snow, not one Red-eye in sight.

Except for two.

Minseok instinctively crouched, pressing himself close to the snow to blend himself in. The Red-eyes were conversing right in front of the only open tunnel in the cavern before slowly making their way inside, muttering complaints about the knee-deep snow and freezing temperature. The snow leopard tried to discreetly crawl down the slope but one of his paws suddenly sank down in the process, an accidental yelp escaping his throat in surprise.

“What was _that_?”

Minseok felt his hackles rise as he tried to hide in the snow, yet before he could even do so, one of them suddenly pointed towards him with features expressing one of fearful confusion. For a moment, Minseok had forgotten about his current predicament as he swiped the air in an attempt to shoot out an ice shard on instinct, but soon tumbled down the snow hill he was on when he tried to stand up on his hind legs, landing snout-first in the flurry with a muffled “oomph!”. 

Raising his head from the cold white floor, the snow leopard was overjoyed when he suddenly felt lighter (and a lot drier) and saw his cloak lying limply beside him, clasp broken and edges slightly ripped. But while that was one problem out of the way, another was just about to reveal itself when Minseok’s happiness was cut short by two figures looming over his head.

“Well, would ya look at that.”

The snow leopard froze, bristling at the hyena-like cackles of the men standing above him before he righted himself with a growl. The Red Force affiliates were quick to pull out their knives at him and they were brought to a standstill, neither of the two parties wanting to make the first move. Minseok narrowed his eyes at them intently as he can’t seem to put any names to their faces, so they were probably just Red Force grunts.

“It isn’t everyday ya see a pretty kitty rolling down a hill.” the shorter man chuckles, crimson eyes twinkling with mirth.

“Where did it come from?” the other male asked, looking up to glance at the hole, “Did it come from there?”

“Who cares! I’m gettin’ me a new coat.” The first man bunched up his sleeves to his elbows and was about to take a step forward, when he abruptly paused, giving the feline another once-over, “Wait a minute. Look.”

Minseok felt like squirming in the enemies’ burning gaze as he growled in warning once more, but then he realized they were staring at something below his face. The snow leopard blanked out, suddenly feeling all too aware of the one and only thing that hung around his neck;

His necklace.

“Look at this!” the shorter man shouts gleefully, shaking the other’s shoulder, “Do ya know what this means?”

His captor hums for a moment, scratching his balding head with his other hand, “Uhh, kitty ate the Guardian?”

Minseok watched as the short man turned towards his acquaintance to slap the back of his head, “You buffoon! Kitty _is_ the Guardian!”

_Now!_

The tiny voice inside his head had startled Minseok out of his focus for a moment before he noticed that both men had their weapons down as they briefly argued. It was his time to strike.

An aggressive growl bubbled out of Minseok's throat before he launched himself at the surprised men, teeth bared threateningly. Alarmed, they tried to run away from the pissed off wild cat, but with the snow slowing them down and the snow leopard running on the snow like he was prancing on concrete, they didn’t stand a chance. 

Once they got their bearings, however, did they remember to call upon the Shadow Beasts for help and managed to get Minseok down in a corner with a few threats and strikes. Although he was trapped, Minseok had let out a noise similar to a laugh as he scanned the two scratched and cut faces of the Red-eyes, a feeling of accomplishment blooming in his chest as he managed to do quite a bit of damage even with his uncoordinated limbs. 

Well, _maybe_ a bit of damage is an understatement, seeing all the streaks of blood mixing in with the snow. He may have bit and scratched them too hard a few times,

"I ought to teach ya-!"

The shorter one raised his fist at the smug-looking cat when shouts of other people calling the eldest Guardian's name rang in the only tunnel connected to the cavern. The tallest enemy (and the most roughed up in Minseok's opinion) started spewing profanities at the snow leopard while charging at the leopard, only to flinch back when Minseok swiped at him once more.

"Cavalry's here." The shorter spat, grabbing onto the Shadow Beast's freakishly long limb, "Management’s gonna have a field day with this info.”

The other begrudgingly snatched the beast’s other tendril as he glared daggers at the feline, “But what about him?”

“Let his brothers decide his fate.”

Before Minseok could comprehend what he meant by his statement, the shadows wrapped around the Red Force affiliates and the amalgamate before they dissolved into black smoke that shot up towards the opening in the ceiling, leaving nothing but two pairs of footsteps and a sooty mark on the snow. As much as he was still reeling with leftover adrenaline, with the rest of the Guardians nearing, he could figure it out some other time. Right now, he's got a bigger problem on his hands.

Err, paws.

Minseok has never been relieved to see his brothers as much as this moment, all their missions and journeys that he went on wouldn’t hold a candle to this conundrum he had with the Red Force. Of course, meeting them would lead to a chorus of “I told you so”s from the leader, but his ego would need a good bruising anyway. He couldn’t afford to make a mistake such as this again. Once the footsteps slowed into crunching of frost under boots, the ex-frost wielder faced his group with an audible purr, the Red Force grunt’s words wisping silently in his mind.

Surely his brothers wouldn't hurt him intentionally, right? 

“Hyung!”

Minseok was supposed to be happy at his favorite brother’s call, but with his heartbreaking tone, it was difficult to do so. Surveying the situation, the group hadn’t noticed him yet as they were focused on something else, and upon further inspection, they were staring straight at his cloak on the ground, the ruined cloth surrounded by bloodstains.

An unsettling feeling coiled around Minseok’s gut yet he pushed it away, opting for a loud mew that will surely catch his brother’s attention. Jongin was the first to spot him, but the younger teleported away with a frightful screech, the rest of them questioning his behavior until their eyes landed on the wild cat.

Everyone was utterly stunned, all of them digesting what was laid out for their eyes to see as they went back and forth to the mantle and the snow leopard. Minseok was almost sure of himself that they would've figured out that he was the feline by now, so he took a few tentative steps towards them. 

Unfortunately, a completely different scenario was placed inside the Guardians' minds as they took in the blood, the beast, and their brother’s cloak. And they feared for the worst.

_Watch out!_

Before he could get another step in, Minseok had moved on instinct and dodged a lightning-based attack coming from a distraught-looking Jongdae, the eyes of the male containing nothing but sheer rage at the animal. The snow leopard's heart sank a little at the younger's heaving form as the latter tried to keep himself together after presumably piecing together that this beast had _killed_ his hyung.

Minseok tried to say something in the lines of "Jongdae-ah, it's me, Minseok!" but to his utter dismay, all that came out was a mix of a deep growl and a yowl that the others mistook to be an aggressive noise. Immediately, Chanyeol, Sehun, and Baekhyun had joined the fight; four powerful, element-wielding Guardians filled with grief and anger at the beast that allegedly ripped their hyung to shreds, oblivious to the fact that their hyung _is_ the beast.

The wild cat was amazed at how he managed to stay standing for so long against the four, seeing that he didn't have his powers anymore (still marveling at the fact that he could feel heat), but Minseok can feel them getting more agitated by the minute. Minseok knew, by experience, that an annoyed Guardian was a dangerous one.

And it was almost too good to last.

A particular attack from Chanyeol had missed him by a hair, but the explosive aftermath had knocked him back into the rocky cavern wall, his fatigued body pelted with pebbles and sleet. Disoriented and at his luck’s end, Minseok let out a pained whine and looked around wildly for an escape, eyes briefly connecting with Yixing and Junmyeon. 

It was the former who noticed it first; the feline's eyes too human to be a snow leopard's. The brown irises were rounder with the pupil following the same big shape instead of the usual leopard's dot-like pupils. And as he squinted closer, he could see the ever-so-familiar emblem hidden beneath the feline’s long silver fur.

Eyes wide, Yixing grabbed the leader's wrist and shouted what Minseok thinks was his revelations, but he can only assume as the explosion had momentarily blown out his hearing. Seeing what the healer had managed to see, Junmyeon yelled for the four to stop, but Jongdae had already sent an attack his way, ready to serve his untimely death by electrocution.

The eldest closed his eyes shut, head turning with his ears pinned to the back of his head as he braced for impact. He heard the thunderous boom that always came with Jongdae’s attack after something had been hit, but he wasn’t feeling electric currents frying his system. Had the onslaught been too strong to kill him on the spot? 

After a few more seconds of silence, curiosity got the best of him as Minseok peeked cautiously through his eyelids, before snapping his eyes wide open when he saw the rocky wall in front of him, one that presumably absorbed the attack for him. Thank MAMA for Kyungsoo and his abilities.

Minseok, sensing that there wasn't an outward threat to his life anymore, dropped to the ground along with the wall that protected him before letting out a tired whimper, all his adrenaline used up from keeping himself awake.

"Hyung?"

Surprisingly, the leopard had heard the soft voice among the white noise ringing in his ears. Perhaps his hearing wasn't gone yet, but based on the proximity of the actual explosion to himself, at least some kind of temporary damage was still at large. Looking up, Minseok saw the blurry face of a concerned and slightly guilty Jongdae and just about responded with a quiet whine before letting himself succumb to the darkness.

Still, with snow surrounding his form, all he felt was heat.

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Minseok was starting to loathe the haze wrapping around his head every time he was about to wake up, the metaphorical mist clouding all five of his senses and preventing him from moving as sharply and precisely as the ability he was gifted with. But alas, this might be his third time waking up in a daze in the week, not to mention it hadn’t even been a full day since the last one. 

Fortunately for him, his poor brain had managed to recall the happenings before he passed out, but now that he was notified once again that the transformation wasn’t just a terrible dream, the remainder began to look less than a blessing.

His surroundings were brighter and less cold than the last time Minseok remembered, which probably meant that he was out of the caverns of Exodus, but he couldn't help but let out a quiet hiss as the light had flooded his vision before closing his eyes again on instinct to stop the offending rays. A few shuffling sounds were picked up through the dull ringing in his ears before the brightness dimmed considerably, much to his relief.

The snow leopard slowly pried his eyes open once more, blinking a few times before raising his head from what he now recognizes was their common room's rug. His vision was still blurry with black spots lining the edges of his peripheral, but he could definitely remember the three men in front of him. Their concerned frowns and the already somber atmosphere in the air was a new one, though.

"Minseok-hyung?" Chanyeol tentatively asked as he fidgets with the singed edges of his sleeve, "Is...Is that _really_ you?"

The big cat purred loudly before nodding his head, slightly pleased that he can still do non-communicative actions. The three boys visibly relaxed, and before they knew it, Jongdae had the leopard in a tight hug, his face pressing into the soft gray fur while mumbling incoherent words that even Minseok couldn't decipher. Minseok tried to calm the lightning-wielder down by letting out a soft purr, but that only led to the boy finally shattering.

"We thought you died, hyung!" he wails, hugging the eldest tighter, "When w-we saw your cloak o-on the ground, and t-this big cat suddenly appeared w-with blood on i-its fangs, we t-thought you were…"

Minseok couldn't stop his eyes from glossing over at Jongdae's spiel, and before he knew it, he maneuvered himself into a sitting position before lifting a paw from the ground to encircle it around the crying boy's figure, returning the hug with a quiet rumble coming from his chest. Though it was the only way Minseok can say "I'm here now. That's all that matters”, knowing their strong bond with each other, he was certain the younger had gotten the message.

Looking back at the two onlookers, it only took Minseok one soft but pointed look and a swish of his tail at Chanyeol and Baekhyun before they readily joined the hug, the former snaking his arms around all three of them with the thought of carrying everyone at once. He ended up buckling under their weight and falling on the ground with the said three on top of him, as expected, but the Firestarter earned loud laughs in the process, to which he didn’t mind.

_Woosh!_

Screams rang through the room as two familiar figures had appeared out of thin air, one of them dropping the large bundle he was carrying from shock before glaring at the culprits of the loud noises. Meanwhile, the other had purposefully abandoned everything that he was holding onto before teleporting to the highest platform of the room, which turned out to be the top of the cupboards. 

As Minseok was familiarizing himself with the two newcomers, his ears turned and picked up rapid footsteps coming from outside the room. A wave of unease washed over his system but before he knew it, the door had burst open, revealing three more panic-stricken people.

_Danger!_

Minseok wasn't sure what forced him to move, but he immediately whirled around and pounced on the individual that first caught his attention, which just so happened to be Yixing. Once he got his bearings, however, he stopped himself from growling at the healer before swiftly getting off of him, making a noise that he had hoped the Guardian interpreted as apologetic. 

His stomach dropped once he saw the reddening lines forming on the man’s chest through the rips on his shirt, but Yixing just chuckled at his guilty expression as he slid his palm over the affected area, the wounds disappearing just as fast as they came. 

Yixing places a hand on the feline’s head to rub between his ears, “I should be the one welcoming you! Silly hyung.” 

“Stupid sounds more fitting.” Kyungsoo tsks, running his fingers through the cat’s thick pelt, “Did you know how many caves we had to search through?” 

“Yeah, but that’s not the point!” Sehun chimes in, sounding equally upset, “We couldn’t feel your presence anymore through the bond, and we...we thought you...”

None of them had the heart to continue after the Wind Guardian, and so silence had spread through the room with all of them radiating different levels of melancholic concern towards the eldest before Junmyeon, like the leader he is, finally took the reins.

“Right,” Junmyeon clears his throat, “We owe each other an explanation. Let’s get started, then.”

As if on cue, Minseok watched his brothers move together in sync, some of them moving their furniture to the side to make a way for all of them to sit on the floor while the others coaxed their second youngest to get down from his spot. They formed a circle on the floor, which looked more like an oval to the snow leopard but it’s not like he can talk about it anyway, Junmyeon was the first one to speak.

"So, you can understand what we're saying?" 

Minseok nods.

"Alright, that thankfully makes it easier." the leader concludes, "Unfortunately, we're only limited to closed questions until we figure out how to communicate in the basic speech of another creature, but I digress."

“Oh! Or we could do some charades.” Chanyeol happily suggests, “Or I spy, pictionary-”

“Those won’t work, ‘Yeol.” Baekhyun retorts, “Hyung can’t speak, much less draw.”

“But Minseok-hyung can use his claws!”

“On what? The floor?”

Minseok let out a hiss in reply to that statement, sitting straighter in his spot. Snow leopard or not, he would still be the last one who will ever think of tampering their precious hardwood like that. Now if he could just retract his claws…

“Guys, stay on topic.” Jongdae reprimands softly, “Now, do you still remember anything before your transformation?”

Dipping his head firmly in affirmation, the others watched as Minseok raised his paw before gesturing to Chanyeol with a mew. The Firestarter furrows his brows and points to his chest confusedly, but the feline shakes his head, lifting his paw higher to guide the man’s index before it settles on his pushed-back locks.

“My hair?” He mumbles, pulling down a strand to take a look at it. Minseok lightly growled and shook his head, intensifying his actions before Baekhyun snapped his fingers.

“Red!” he exclaims, “The Red Force!”

Minseok nods vigorously as his tail flicked happily from side to side, pleased with how everything was going until he realized something. How was he going to explain the ritual? 

Perhaps pictionary wasn’t a bad suggestion after all.

The feline stood up and lumbered over to the center before placing one of his paws in front of him. Taking one claw, Minseok did his best to leave marks on the beige rug that, at least, looked like letters that formed a word, but his brothers’ odd guesses weren’t exactly encouraging.

“Explosions!”

“Worms.”

“Junmyeon-hyung’s room?” 

Minseok made a noise in negation over the peals of laughter that echoed through the room, the eldest watching amusedly as the leader slapped Sehun’s arm in retaliation with a lecture about respect streaming through his mouth in rapid-fire. Thumping his tail heavily on the ground, Minseok makes another mark that’s similar to one of the characters written on the edge of the ritual circle as the last resort.

Surprisingly, Jongin gasped and leaned closer to the messy drawing, furrowing his eyebrows before jumping up to stand with an “Aha!”. He then pulled out the tattered cloth bundle that Minseok identified as what’s left of his shirt from the mission.

“Soo and I went back inside the cave to look for more clues when we found this in the middle of a snow mound.” Unwrapping the roll, the teleporter reaches in to pull out an object, “We thought-”

“Jongin, don’t!”

The said male was startled out of his spiel, quickly throwing the objects on the ground as if he was burnt. The mystery object clattered on the floor with a dull thud and was still hidden beneath the baby-blue fabric until Yixing knelt beside it and picked it up cautiously using the cloth. Turning around, the healer showcased the object to the others and Minseok couldn’t help but snarl at it.

The dagger.

“When the blade meets the skin of the sacrifice, that’s when the ritual is deemed complete." He carefully examined the etchings on the blade before turning to Minseok, “That’s what I’ve read.”

Crouching beside the eldest, the younger's palms glowed their signature pink hue and began hovering over the feline’s limbs. Minseok watched from the corner of his eye as the rose color suddenly turned hot pink by the time Yixing fluttered over his shoulder before a dull pain thrummed on his skin and made him huff a little.

“Here it is.” Yixing announced, wincing a bit as he inched his hand closer to the wound, “It’s a small cut, but it _reeks_ of dark magic.”

“So the Red Force turned hyung into a wild cat...for what?” Kyungsoo crossed his arms in disbelief, “They didn’t even turn him into a non-threatening creature! What do they get out of this other than pissing us off?”

Minseok grunts before shaking his head. He chuffed at the onlookers before laying limply on his side, eyes closed and tongue lolling out. The heat of embarrassment was creeping up on the nape of his neck at the fact that his brothers were watching him make a fool out of himself, but he couldn’t care any less now. 

“Dead?” Jongdae voiced out, “They were going to kill you? In a ritual?”

“I believe sacrifice is the better term for it.” adds Yixing, "So their goal _wasn’t_ to make you a beast?"

Minseok shook his head.

"Were the mantras completed before you got cut by the dagger?"

Another shake.

"They must have transformed you by accident, then," Yixing concludes. Rubbing his hands together, he hovered both of them over Minseok’s wound and began using his ability, "If I get rid of the cut then maybe...maybe I can…"

Yixing began to frown deeply before placing his hands back to his sides with a grunt. The feline rolls his shoulder to assess the fix, but unlike the past times where Yixing had healed them perfectly without any after-effects, his shoulder still had an ache lingering on the surface. He didn’t seem to be changing back either.

“That’s not right.” Yixing tries to use his abilities once again, but after an uncomfortably prolonged wait, the blonde male sighs, “I...I can’t heal you, Min.”

Junmyeon immediately stood up from where he sat before swiftly kneeling next to the snow leopard, peeking over Yixing’s shoulder to take a look at the injury. Through the thick gray fur, the leader could see the small wound slowly crusting but not closing like it should be, sending a wave of concern through the man.

“The dark magic’s too strong.” Yixing murmured, looking blankly at his hands, “It just... _what’s the right word_...repelled? Canceled?” The healer shook his head, “Whatever it is, I can’t do anything to help.”

Minseok felt a shiver run down his spine and Junmyeon ran his fingers through his hair with a long inhale, the latter leaving the circle to pace around restlessly.

“Accident or not, what the Red Force placed for us was a _trap_.” He exhales, “It won’t be long before they hear about this too.” 

Minseok growled quietly, shifting around so he could sit as his throat made a noise that was supposed to be his retort, but all that came out was an odd yowl instead. His tail wrapped around his hunched figure to serve as comfort when the group settled in an uncomfortable silence once again until one of their moodmakers got up to his feet.

"Perhaps Baekkie can help!" Chanyeol chimed in, turning to Baekhyun, "Can’t you just repel the dark magic? Drive all the darkness away from Minseok-hyung's system?"

Baekhyun's face lit up as he seemed to consider it, but Yixing shook his head sadly, causing the light-wielder to deflate. 

"You can easily overpower if it was just darkness alone, Baekhyun, but this is dark magic we're talking about." Yixing replied somberly, "Dark magic is more complicated. It's hard to expel and even harder when someone's life is on the line. Unless…"

Junmyeon stopped his pacing to look at the younger, “Unless what?”

The blonde man hesitates for a second, glancing over at Minseok then to the others, before doing the scan of the room.

“There are no shadow creatures here, yes?”

“Of course! Our doors were shut tight last night.” Jongdae beams, “They’ll need to break a hole in our wall if they want to get in.”

Yixing nods, releasing a breath of relief before making a beeline for their bookshelf. Standing up, Minseok ambled towards the male who focused on getting one of their thickest books out of the shelf it’s on, keeping a calm demeanor as he padded along the floor.

Minseok wasn’t expecting to find out that his body was poisoned with whatever dark magic voodoo shit the Red Force had in store, but at least all hope is not lost for him. Unfortunately, looking at the illustrations drawn on the pages the other had stopped on, it might as well be.

“The Tree of Life is most famous for being a vessel for the purest form of light.” Yixing explained, setting the tattered book on the floor so that everyone could see, “But we all know that MAMA had split the tree in half to produce our powers for us to fight in The War, and thus, the tree was reborn in a regular sapling. However,”

Gesturing to the book, Yixing flipped the page so that the paper showed a well-drawn illustration of the Tree of Life in all its glory but the healer slid his finger from the trunk to the ground and its roots to the very bottom of the page.

“Only a few know about this, but Grandmaster Yunho has been kind enough to share his knowledge with me.” The dimpled male circled the sketch with his finger, “The Tree of Life may be a vessel, but _only_ a vessel. The real origin of the pure light happens to be beneath the Tree; the water that the Tree feeds itself with.”

“Then that water should overpower the dark magic!” Jongin exclaims, jumping onto his feet, “Come on! I’ll get us there in a flash.”

“There’s only a slight problem in your plan, Nini.” Yixing responds, leafing through the book without looking at the determined male, “This water flows from under the past Tree of Life. Do you remember the place where the Tree was?”

Jongin furrowed his brows in concentration, “Of course! It was…” Then it hit him. “Oh...”

Yixing nodded solemnly and his hand came to halt on the very first page of the book where the title, albeit faded, still popped out from the aging yellowed parchment. “The land most ruined by The War and was shrouded in eternal darkness—”

“El Dorado.”

Junmyeon took a deep breath after muttering those words, closing his eyes to keep back the unshed tears as the unwanted memories washed over his mind before he removed the thoughts with a shake of his head, “How are we sure that the water’s still...there?”

“It’s a bit of a stretch, for sure, but it’s our best bet.” Yixing sighed, “It’s our only chance of turning Min back.”

A wave of silence spread around the room as the gravity of the situation finally began to weigh on their shoulders, a bout of unease soon following after. El Dorado was a dark place for them, both literally and figuratively, and they were still not in the right mindset to go back to such a traumatic place, but all odds have turned against them now. In the quiet atmosphere, all they could do was pray that they were not about to lose another brother in that wretched place.

But, with their clouded minds, they failed to notice a piece of darkness breaking off from the corner of the room before silently slipping through the cracked window and into the night.

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_Tick, tick, tick…_

Minseok shifted on the carpet once more, unconsciously flicking his ears to the sound of the constant noise of the clock. Opening his eyes to glare at the circular time device, he jolted as soon as his vision turned sharper and more defined in the pitch-black room before easing up when he realized that it was only a product of his feline state.

 _At least something good is coming from all of this._ He mused, eyeing the long and short arrows that signified that it was a quarter past one. And with that, whatever positive mood he tried to put onto himself immediately vanished.

Damn his nocturnal instincts. 

Getting up on his feet, he surveyed the spacious living space and its contents. Sehun and Chanyeol were snoring away after hogging the couch, while Kyungsoo easily took the loveseat being, well, Kyungsoo. Baekhyun and Jongin had valiantly tried to fight for it, of course, but it only ended with them sprawled on the floor, spewing excuses and complaints as they rubbed their heads. 

The rest settled on the carpeted floor with him, setting up a nest of blankets and pillows around them to enhance the feel of the improvised-sleepover, and Jongdae even draped himself over the leopard despite Yixing and Junmyeon’s warnings. They had to pry him off the feline every night, but not before a few sad whines from the former every time (“Hyung’s fur is _so soft!_ Why don’t you try it??”).

As cheesy as it may sound, seeing them all gathered together in the living room for the past few nights just to be with him put a wide smile on his face. Spiritually of course, because last time he tried to smile, he scared off Chanyeol and Jongin with his “demon-like features”, as the Fire Guardian called it. 

Slowly crossing the room as quietly as he can, Minseok carefully tiptoed through the mass of limbs and sleeping bodies of his members who were sprawled on the floor, noting two missing individuals in the room. They were most probably in the meeting room discussing the best routes and strategies to get to El Dorado as they have done for the past few nights. 

As he slinked out of the room and into the quiet hallway, Minseok picked up the hushed voices from the other room and he couldn’t help but feel guilt ebbing away at his core. Junmyeon and Yixing were spending their precious rest on researching and planning for a journey they all unanimously agreed to go to because of him.

He went on the mission because he feared for his brothers’ safety (among other things), but now, because of his recklessness, they’re going back to the place where that fear sprouted in the first place. It’s ironic, is it not? 

Looking past the illuminated room, Minseok was startled out of his own thoughts when he saw shining eyes staring back at him in the darkness, but as he cautiously crept closer, he sighed in relief when it was only his reflection, brown irises shining against his gray and white spotted fur. 

How could he forget? They placed mirrors at the end of the halls as per Baekhyun’s request when they had started their training. He had mastered it to the point that he didn’t need any of the reflective glass when he wanted to make illusions and mirages, but the mirrors became a constant in their lives that they didn’t have the heart to take them out, no matter how many times it scared them with their own reflections.

Minseok chuckled internally as he continued to gaze at himself, glancing at his tail every once in a while as it moved behind him. No matter how much they despise these things, the mirrors just held so many memories, happy or not. They had been there for so long that it was difficult for him to let them go.

_To let go..._

Suddenly, he didn’t feel like he was thinking about the mirrors anymore.

“Minseok?”

Whirling around, the snow leopard squinted to see Junmyeon peeking out of the meeting room, concern evident on his face. Upon remembering his original objective, Minseok bounded up to the leader with a welcoming meow and accepted the open door, placing himself on a tall chair that let him see the contents of the table. Yixing was also there, heavily focused on what he was writing on the pieces of parchment, but he still gave a wave when he caught sight of the feline. 

Surveying the room’s messy state with a narrowed stare, Minseok thought that it was probably the most disorganized it has ever been; crumpled papers around the floor, crumbs, and wrappers barely hidden inside the nook and cranny the youngest’s chairs, and even the humans looked disheveled from fatigue. 

If Minseok could only talk, he’d nag the ears off of these two. But instead, he started purring lightly at the two pairs of eyes looking at him, tilting his head to signal his curiosity towards their all-nighter as he set his paw on the table.

“Oh Min! Now that you’re here, I’ll briefly check up on your vitals before we go tomor—er, later.” Yixing yawns, gesturing to the myriad of papers and maps on the table, “We were just finishing up on the last of the route since, you know, we can't travel through Jongin's abilities.”

Minseok nods with a hum. It was just a mere few days ago when the younger cried over the fact that the eldest couldn't join their land hopping because, just like Yixing's healing, Jongin can't teleport with the snow leopard. It made their task more difficult, of course, but the rest had more reasons to join in their journey. 

“We’re going to the closest town to get some supplies.” Junmyeon added, going back to his place on the round table, “Which if I’m not mistaken, is Exodus. We’ll borrow some horses to get to Black Pearl, then we’ll sail through the Fjord of Legends then straight to El Dorado.”

“We’ll still have to run this through Jongin, of course, but there’s something else that has come to our attention other than our routes.” The healer chimed in, “The good news is that I am almost certain that the water, now dubbed as the Spring of Life, survived The War. Its’ origins came from the sacred grounds itself, so we shouldn’t fear it drying up.”

“And the bad news?”

“It has come to my attention that there are still…conditions that we need to meet in order for the water’s magic to truly work.”

The youngest in the room placed an open notebook on Minseok’s side of the table and the latter peered at its contents curiously, mewing lightly when he got a glimpse of the hand-drawn illustration of none other than the Spring of Life. Upon the clearer and more precise drawing, he realized that he had seen the place before, back when they were stationed in El Dorado to train for The War. And even though he had seen it under the darkness of the Eclipse, the illustration still didn’t give it justice for its natural beauty.

“While we were in El Dorado, Grandmaster Yunho allowed me to take a few notes about the water’s mechanics from the underground library as part of my training.” He turned the next page which was filled with messy scribbles, “Specifically, the guidelines set by the magic.”

Junmyeon was puzzled as he looked over at the writings with a surprised expression on his face, “How come you never told me about this?”

Yixing shrugged, a small upturn showing on the corner of his lips, “You never asked.”

The leader blanched for a few moments before shaking his head good-naturedly, “Mind telling me now?”

Giggling, Yixing pats the other’s behind with a smile, “Of course, ‘Myeonnie!” 

He then turned his attention back to the notebook, “As I said before, the water is the very source of power that the Tree of Life uses. And so, it’s a pure form of light magic that’s capable of expelling its counterpart, and by extension, this curse.”

“But like everything that’s magic-based in Elyxion, the Spring of Life has its own set of rules that we, or rather, _you_ need to fulfill before it turns you back, Min.”

The feline hunched slightly, letting out a sound of unease as he placed a gentle paw on the book. Scanning through the jumbled characters and blotches of ink for when Yixing pressed down on the parchment too hard (a habit he does when he writes with little to no pauses), Minseok started to piece together most of the information within the scriptures.

“‘Close the door to your history and be granted another mystery.’ That’s what Grandmaster Yunho told me once.” The healer shared. “The water will work its magic regardless if you have abilities or not, just as long as you’re ready to…live a second life, I think? All your dreams, fears, and habits should be-”

He opened both closed fists at the same time. “Let go.”

“Well, that I understand,” Junmyeon confirms, “But in the meantime, let’s try and elaborate on the first one. As long as Minseok’s ready to live a second life? What do they mean by that?”

Yixing opens his mouth to reply, yet he hesitates and slumps on his seat instead, back hunched and eyes squinting at all the ink papers before him as if it was a puzzle. He had enough information from the past and the present to formulate an answer, yet it feels like everything still wasn’t in place no matter how much he rearranged his notes. After a few more stressful moments, Junmyeon had to put a stop to his shuffling when he began to tear a parchment out of its binds.

“‘Xing, no!” The Water Guardian exclaims, taking the notebook away with a panicked expression, “Let’s calm down and think, okay? Let’s look at it from a different angle.”

“A different angle?”

In the classic Yixing fashion, the healer shimmied his seat back and began tilting his head from one side to the other. But as Junmyeon was about to explain the saying, he saw it.

Just as Minseok was about to scan the pages of the notebook for the nth time, the dimpled man suddenly jumped out of his seat with a loud cheer before his hand shot out to grasp at the document the feline was staring at, causing the latter to startle and tip over his seat with a yowl.

Minseok heard the other call out an apology as he righted himself on the floor before cautiously making his way back on the chair, watching as the blonde male flitted his gaze from one note to the other, occasionally looking at the snow leopard with a shocked look on his face as if he was starting to piece together the secret of the universe which, come to think of it, was not entirely wrong.

Smoothing a crumpled piece of paper on the oak table, Yixing glances at the leader with a bright grin.

“It’s exactly what it says on the notes, ‘Myeon! Light Magic is everything its counterpart is not! Where Dark Magic is complex and flexible, the other is straightforward and cannot be bent easily. Thus, the same goes for light magic’s rules and standards. If the Spring of Life needs Minseok to be prepared for a second life, then that’s what hyung needs to do.”

“Perhaps I shouldn’t be asking the ‘what’ in this scenario, then. _How_ can Minseok get ready to live a second life?”

Yixing’s eyes twinkled as he gave Minseok a mirthful grin. But upon further inspection, he seemed to be looking at something behind the quadruped. “Close the doors to your history and be granted another mystery.”

“What does that have anything to do with…?” Junmyeon paused, following the other man’s line of sight. “…Oh.”

If Minseok were human right now, he’d probably be curling his lips deeply in a frown, but his discomfort can be clearly seen in his flattened ears and lashing tail. Even if he wasn’t facing the object of interest, he most definitely knew what it was, for it was the very reason why he always sat with his back turned towards it.

The feline could feel the atmosphere tense as he slowly turned around to take a glance at the three golden plaques that hung on the wall. Even with a fine layer of dust on its surface, the silver cursive names of their fallen brothers shined greatly against the rays of the spheres on the ceiling that provided the light.

Kris, Luhan, and Tao. 

Those were the names of their three brothers who sacrificed themselves in order to turn the tides in their favor. 

He had been devastated, they all had. The eldest spent many sleepless nights thinking how much of a useless hyung he was to them for not being able to think of countless other ways he could have prevented them from choosing to sacrifice themselves, for not even _being_ there in their last moments, but then he realized how much more useless of a hyung he would be if he wasn’t there for his brothers mourning with him.

Putting his emotions aside, he became the group’s pillar of support. He distracted himself by caring for his brothers, and somewhere along their journey to recovery, the pain just vanished. 

But now, he fears the agony he cast out will return ten-fold.

“-seok?”

The feline shook out the thought and turned his attention towards the two men, tilting his head in question just as Junmyeon sighed exasperatedly.

“See? You keep telling me you’ve moved on, yet you still couldn’t bear to listen when the topic’s about them!”

Minseok slightly recoiled from Junmyeon’s loud tone, a low growl forming in his throat the more he continued.

“Face it, Minseok. You’re still shackled by the guilt of being here while _they_ are not.” 

“You’re our hyung, we get it! But as your leader and your younger brother, it _pains_ me to see you working yourself up every night whenever Baekhyun or Jongdae have overtime in their posts, or when you work yourself to the point of exhaustion just to complete a mission that all nine of us were supposed to do!”

“That’s enough, Junmyeon.”

Minseok’s fur was bristling by the time Yixing stepped towards the leader, the feline taking everything in him not to unsheath his claws and ruin the varnished surface of his chair. 

From Minseok’s narrowed eyesight, Yixing had a hand settled on the nape of Junmyeon’s neck, a slight glow emitting from his palm and Junmyeon instantly relaxed, wobbling on his feet before the dimpled male helped him sit on his seat.

“Please get some shut-eye, ‘Myeon. We’ll finish planning the routes in Exodus.” Yixing closed his notebook and arranged all the papers in a semi-neat pile before gesturing to the snow leopard. “Come along, Min-hyung. I’ll prepare the stuff in my room then we’ll go for a quick check-up.”

Taking that as a cue to leave, Minseok gracefully jumps down from his seat before slinking out of the room. He watches as the healer drapes the royal blue cloak of the Water Guardian on its owner and plants a quick peck on his platinum-blonde hair before exiting the room in a few strides, nodding once towards the eldest before leading the way.

“‘Myeonnie could have made his tone a bit nicer, but you can’t really deny that what he said was the truth.”

Minseok blinks before he rolled his eyes and his petulant huff was met with a quiet chuckle from the dimpled male.

“I know everyone fears of falling to a low point, hyung. But do remember that you don’t have to be afraid of letting go.” Yixing turns around to give a small smile. “You always have us to hold on to if you do.”

Just as he was about to give the other’s statement a second thought, Yixing turned the corner to climb up the stairs and Minseok jumped in surprise at the hazel-eyed wild cat in front of him.

Damn mirrors.

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The morning rays of the sun danced over the vaguely familiar path that Minseok and his brothers were on, filtering through the branches and leaves and making these dots on the trail that the feline couldn’t help but pounce on. But after Baekhyun found out about his odd fascination with the lights and made one of his own to play with the eldest, Minseok slapped the younger’s arm with his tail and sulked, swiping at the male whenever he walked close to him.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve done this.”

All eyes turned to Sehun.

"Do what exactly?" Kyungsoo questions.

"Go on a journey, explore Elyxion together, _walk_.” The youngest shrugged. “It hasn’t even been five minutes and Chanyeollie’s already out of breath."

"It'll be a long exploration, that's for sure," Jongin mentioned, disappearing and reappearing right next to an offended Chanyeol to console him with a side hug, "If we take the route Yixing-hyung showed me, I'd estimate…a month at best."

Surprised exclamations and complaints came from everyone in the group, but fortunately enough, they had noticed the shadow of the buildings looming in the distance and the familiar mountain that towered over the town, putting their protests to a halt. They had arrived at the town of Exodus, and it was time for them to prepare for what’s to come.

"Chanyeol, Kyungsoo and Jongin, check-in at the inn and scout the parameters for any Red-eyes. Yixing, Sehun and I will be going to the mayor's office to notify them of our stay." Junmyeon explains, looking at the group sternly. "Finally, Jongdae, Baekhyun, and Minseok will handle the rest of the supplies."

Minseok mewed before immediately sticking himself to Jongdae's side. Baekhyun, on the other hand, saw this and whined.

"Hyuuung! You don’t have to rub it in." Baekhyun hunched over exaggeratedly, "I already said I was sorry! You were just so _cute_ when you were chasing—"

The light-wielder yelped when Minseok jokingly swiped at his shoes before the feline sauntered over and rubbed his head on the younger’s pant leg with an innocent purr, sending the group into peals of laughter. Unfortunately, with time not stopping for anyone, the group had to dissipate to their designated roles as it was just a matter of time before sunset.

With Baekhyun and Jongdae by his side, Minseok ventured to the market located in the center of town. A snow leopard strolling through the streets of Exodus might be quite a sight to see, judging by the people stopping to gawk at Minseok, but with two of the known Guardians by his side, it was safe to say that no one will cause any trouble anytime soon.

As they set foot in the market, different kinds of scents and noises bombarded Minseok’s senses, making it a bit overwhelming for the snow leopard as he recoiled away and took a step back. Jongdae glanced worriedly at the turned-feline, but Minseok shook it off and gave a purr to say that he was alright. He expected this to happen, but surprisingly, not to this extent. Fortunately, Jongdae and Baekhyun were willing to wait for him to adjust to his new surroundings.

Now, with a clear mind and even brighter senses, he began seeing the old market that he used to go to for years from another perspective.

Vendors were shouting their goods left and right, trying to catch the attention of people with their loud, baritone, or pitchy voices. The produce smelled sharp, and the spices even more so. Everything gave off the illusion of being new, yet he had seen it countless times before. It was ordinary, yet astonishing in the snow leopard's eyes.

"Minseok-hyung?"

Snapping out of his daze, Minseok glanced at the two Guardians who were watching him with confused expressions. It seemed like he was rooted in his spot for far too long.

Bounding towards them, he leaned against Baekhyun's outstretched hand before following them from stall to stall, watching the exchange of gold and produce as if he hadn't done it a million times before his transformation. The patrol guards came to them eventually, asking about the “terrifying beast rampaging through the streets”, but after a few minutes of explaining in the two humans’ part and eye rolls in Minseok’s part, the misunderstanding was cleared and they were free to go once more.

“Can you believe that, hyung?” Baekhyun rants under his breath, just loud enough for both of his companions to hear him, “Rampaging through the streets, my ass. And who in their right mind would call _this_ fluffy face terrifying?”

The hazel-haired boy reaches down to pet the snow leopard’s chin and Minseok instantly bats the limb away with his paw. A growl crept up his throat that made a few heads turn, but the two Guardians only giggled at him. Huffing, Minseok looked towards Jongdae for an ally but the lightning-wielder only smiled.

“I can’t really argue with Baek if you keep making that face, hyung.”

Betrayed, Minseok flicked his ears and turned away from the duo, making small meowing noises that became his rendition of grumbling as Baekhyun and Jongdae cooed over his feline state. But once a brave vendor came up to them and offered his goods, they were reminded of their tasks and scrambled from stall to stall to complete them. 

They mostly picked out food that was preserved or wasn't easily perishable, as well as other supplies like climbing rope and extra blankets. By the time they reached the end of the market, Minseok was lying down on the belly. A few bags secured safely on his back as he waited for the two to finish up their last exchange. 

Tuning out their haggling, Minseok opted to distract himself with retracting and revealing his front claws to at least get comfortable with his now extendable nails, when he felt something brush against the fur of his tail. 

At first, he thought of it as the kid from earlier who was fascinated with the big cat walking around with the Guardians and decided to ignore his presence, but when the hand suddenly came back and yanked his tail roughly, he couldn’t help but release a pained yowl before standing up to turn around and face the culprit.

In front of him was a tall and bulky figure clad in dark robes, half his face hidden underneath his hood. The man had a feral grin plastered on his face as well as a disturbing aura that the snow leopard had picked up quickly, and Minseok couldn’t help but flatten his ears against his head in hostility and growl.

“Hyung?” Jongdae questioned, turning from the druid before finally taking notice of the man in front of them, “Who are you?”

“Don’t worry about me, my dear Guardians, I’m just a nobody.” the man’s grin grew wider, a deep gravelly chuckle escaping his lips. “Such a fine beast you got there. It isn’t every day you get to see such a very… _unique_ cat such as this one.”

Before any of them could respond, the man reached into his robe and pulled out a large brown sack. Tossing the bag on the ground, it tipped over, and numerous golden coins and gems exited from the mouth.

“Tell you what,” the man croons, “I give you all of that in exchange for your kitty right there. Seems like a fair deal, no?”

Without any hesitation, Baekhyun kicked the bag away from their feet and glared at the man who was two heads taller than him, “With all due respect, he is not up for sale.”

The man looked at the gleaming coins scattered on the floor and sighed, raising his hand to snap his fingers.

“Such a shame.”

As soon as he did so, the jewels and riches shook before turning into small, withering snakes, making the trio step back and intensify their glare on the man, who had removed his hood and was now laughing maniacally. The act was already a dead giveaway of what he was, but the shining red eyes had hit the nail on the head. 

Before the Guardians could make their move, all the snakes simultaneously turned towards the two humans and sprung at them. Startled, Baekhyun and Jongdae jumped back and began fighting off the fanged creatures using their respective abilities. 

Minseok was about to jump in and help them contain the tiny serpents when a steel-tipped boot came in contact with his side and sent him barreling through one unmanned stall, the heavy scent of fruit and twine coming into contact with his sensitive nostrils as he freed himself from the broken wood and tattered cloth.

“The all-powerful Guardian isn’t so all-powerful now, isn’t he? More fun for me, then.”

Minseok barely had the time to go with his instincts and roll away just before an axe descended from where he just was, slicing a lone apple clean in half. Eyes widening, the feline began to see the danger he was in as the twin hatchets shined in the afternoon sun. With no abilities and no way of defending himself, Minseok turned to his only viable option.

He runs.

The screams of the onlookers mixed with the deep bellowing laughter of the Red-eye pierced through Minseok’s ears as he ducked under fruit stand after fruit stand to avoid getting nicked by the bladed side of the weapon. Taking a cautious look back, the Red-eye had no problem swinging his axe at everything in his path and obliterating the stalls in a matter of a few strokes.

“Pussycat, pussycat, where are you hiding?”

Ducking into a cluster of stalls, Minseok managed to lose the man off his tail, but to his horror, the Red-eye began to bound towards the outside of the market where the majority of the people stood to look at the scene. This is bad.

He needs to distract the man long enough for his brothers to finish off the slithering serpents, but how?

With his gaze flitting around the environment, Minseok managed to spot a large tarp that acted as a roof to protect the meat and fish stalls from the heat. These said stalls were also in the hulking Red-eyes direction and, in his prideful display of power, it looked like he wasn’t moving around it anytime soon.

Bingo.

Once the man started hacking a path through the tables, Minseok sprung out of his hiding place and sprinted through the carnage the Red-eye left in relative silence, his already quiet steps drowned out by the joyous guffaws of the man. And before Minseok could give his next actions a second thought, he unsheathed his claws and pounced at his opponent’s cloaked back.

The initial screech of pain was so shrill that Minseok had almost lost his hold on the Red-eye from shock, yet he quickly collected himself and dug his claws deeper in the Red-eye’s shoulders, the crimson liquid seeping through his paws and staining his fur red. The Red-eye staggered for a few moments until he realized what was happening and started shaking the snow leopard off.

Through his blurry vision, Minseok could see his impulsive plan somewhat working. Most of the wooden sticks holding the tarp up were destroyed from his opponent’s wild swings, but before he could even re-adjust his grip, Minseok felt a hand grab his scruff and throw him off the man’s back as if he was just a mere rag doll.

If looks could kill, then Minseok would have been dead a million times over. 

The Red-eye looked absolutely livid with his dark mop of hair tousled over his glowing eyes and smears of blood on his cheeks. Yet just as he was about to make a move, the snow leopard broke out of his frozen state and lunged towards the last pole holding up the tarp.

“You furry piece of—mmph?!”

Lady Luck must have been on his side, for the Red-eye was completely taken by surprise as the thick cloth tarp dropped down on him. Taking advantage of the momentum, Minseok took one edge of the tarp between his teeth and began circling the man at a swift pace, tightly wrapping the dark sheet around to secure his enemy.

A loud ripping sound broke through the air just as the feline finished off his plan with a headbutt and toppled over his opponent, the man’s head popping out at the top to add insult to injury.

“W-what?! When I get out of here I'll—!"

Minseok tuned out the shouting man in favor of easing the wild beating of his heart. Looking down, he cringed at the crimson covering his paws and smearing his silver fur. He knows he’d seen worse, yet with most of the capabilities of his powers used for long-ranged combat, he couldn’t help but feel unnerved at the sight of blood staining his hands. 

“Hyung!”

Turning around, Minseok was relieved to see Baekhyun and Jongdae finished with their distraction and were now rushing towards him.

“Minse—watch out!”

_Thunk!_

The snow leopard reels away from the loud blow, swiveling around to see the familiar figure holding onto a thick plank, one of the Red-eye’s hatchets sticking out of the other side.

“Looks like you owe me one today, ‘Seokkie.” Tan smiled, leaning down to pet the feline, “Or should I call you kit?”

Minseok was about to reply with a swipe of his paw when a shrill roar of laughter sounded through the area and made everyone turn to the now-free Red-eye, the shredded pieces of his trap under his feet. The market suddenly grew brighter and thunder rolled in the distance as Baekhyun and Jongdae immediately placed themselves in front of the two felines, yet the man leisurely raised his hand.

“I was sent here to provide a warning, but I just couldn’t...help myself.” He gave a grin, wincing a little when he rolled his shoulders and bent down to pick up the ruined tarp. “But soon, you won’t be able to help your brother either.”

“What?”

“You heard me right, sparky. We know what our Magic can do to your brother, but do you?” He gave a grin, orbs flashing its color for a split-second. “Let’s see how long it’ll take before you realize the consequences of messing with the likes of us, but in the meantime,”

“I’ll make sure to hold on to these _scars_ as tight as you hold yours, pussycat.” 

The Red-eye then pulls the tarp over himself and disappears into its shadow.

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The town of Exodus was dead silent under the dark sky of the night. Minseok was walking on the cobblestone path to the edge of the forest, where they knew was the start of their journey. 

The governor of Exodus was happy to lend a hand to the Guardians and even offered an entire battalion to accompany them (Minseok still wasn’t sure where the sudden excessive manpower came from) but they politely declined and had settled on the fastest horses to get them to their first destination before daybreak. 

Now, it was just a matter of time before they finally set off.

“Well, this is it, ‘Seokkie.” Tan grins, crouching down to meet with eye-to-eye with the snow leopard. “Stay safe out there, alright?”

The feline nods in response and intertwines her fluffy tail with his. Minseok readily accepts the warm embrace she gives her before he turns away with one last purr and stands next to Jongdae and his timid horse.

“Jongin!” Junmyeon called, mounting his horse with the help of the stable hand, “Which way?” 

“North,” the teleporter replied, “To Moonlight Range!”

  
  
  


“Hyah!”

The horses brayed to their masters' command, legs digging into the dirt path before straying into the trees, to the direction of the most extensive mountain range in Elyxion. Jongin and Kyungsoo were in the lead, the former leading the group while the elder was using his abilities to flatten the ground and push away any greenery in their way. The others were fairly close behind, alert and eyes sharp in case anyone tried to ambush them while on they were traveling. 

“Hyung!” Sehun called out to the side, “You alright?”

A mix of a groan and a yowl was his response. Looking through the trees and ferns, the youngest can slightly spot the silver and white streak sprinting through the forest with them, gracefully keeping up with the horses as well as dodging any obstacle in his way. 

They had tried to load Minseok onto his designated horse, but the hulking beast had unfortunately scared all of them, mare and stallion alike. To avoid any trouble regarding him and the other animals, the snow leopard raced after the group from behind or a few feet away, safely out of the horses’ vision while still in the sight of his brothers.

All of this had been such a surreal experience for Minseok, from learning how to walk on all-fours mere days ago from darting around at full speed (with the expense of his face getting pelted by small rocks and leaves, of course). It had been quite alarming to Yixing when he first checked on his vitals and physique a few days prior, with what the healer said to him still lingering on his mind. But for now, Yixing had been keeping a close eye on Minseok and his every move, watching for any abrupt changes in his behavior.

_“You’ve been adapting quite well in this body,” Yixing remarked, reaching out to scratch behind Minseok’s ears, “Too well, I suppose.”_

_Minseok mewed in concern as Yixing turned to the large book situated on the small desk in the room. The snow leopard shifted from his spot on Yixing’s bed, trying to peek at the text written in the old documents as the healer’s frown deepened._

_“In any normal transformation, you should be having trouble in activities like walking or running, seeing as you turned from a biped to a quadruped.” Yixing raised the other’s hind leg, throwing Minseok off-balance, “But oddly enough, you’re moving fairly well,”_

_Setting him down with a pat, he then reached behind the leopard’s front leg to locate his pulse, “Your pulse rate is faster than normal too.”_

_Turning back to his book, Yixing scanned the last few pages of scribbles and illustrations until he reached the old leather cover of the document. The healer huffed in frustration before starting once more in the beginning, flipping through the leaves of paper at a rapid pace while muttering incomprehensible gibberish._

_“It would seem like this damned magic has a few tricks up his sleeve,” Yixing finally stopped his ministrations and eyed the cat seriously, “You can understand me, right? Raise your left paw if you still can.”_

_Minseok tilted his head slightly as he sat up and did what Yixing asked. The latter relaxed quite a bit, “Sorry about that, but I just had to make sure.”_

_“You may have the body of a leopard but you’re still our Minseok. That’s good.” Even with that reassuring statement Yixing still has the frown plastered on his face as he stared intently at the open book and its contents, “But…I think that—”_

“Woah!”

Minseok registered the voice just in time to revert his focus on reality, but right as he was about to crash into a boulder. 

Before he could get a grasp on the situation, Minseok suddenly felt himself crouch at the last moment before springing up into the air in a pounce. His front paws met stone for just a split-second before he used his momentum to bounce off the boulder with ease, spinning through the air and then gracefully falling back to the floor on his feet.

The feline immediately froze on the spot, breathing deeply as his mind reeled from the trick he just pulled. What just happened?

“Hyung!”

The snow leopard turned around to see the twigs and leaves were being crushed under the hasty footsteps of Yixing and Junmyeon. Upon their arrival, the leader brushed his hand over the feline’s head as Yixing checked him over for any physical injury.

"What were you thinking, Minseok!?" Junmyeon scolded, "We're not even past our first destination, and you've already hurt yourself!"

Minseok gave a weak yowl as the others slowly neared, the reins of the horses securely in their hands. Their faces contained a variety of shock and awe at his little feat, but the feline saw that concern was just as evident in their furrowed brows and downturned lips.

“You could have been seriously hurt, Min.” chides Yixing

“But you gotta admit, that was very cool.” Chanyeol commented, “When did you learn to do that, hyung?”

In response, Minseok chuffed as an alternative for a shrug before slinking his tail around their healer, giving a mew to assure him that he’s a bit shaken up, but otherwise alright. Nonetheless, the dimpled man poked around for a few more seconds before deeming that he had not broken a bone and it was safe for him to walk.

Flanked by Kyungsoo and Baekhyun, Minseok ambled toward the edge of the tree line and foot of the mountain range.

“So, we need to go past one of these mountains before continuing on our usual trail,” Junmyeon muttered, “Jongin?”

“Hold on,” Jongin voiced out before teleporting out of their group

He was back moments later; hair tousled a bit and a small grin gracing his lips.

“I’ve found the fastest route through the mountain range,” He began, “But the chance of it being safe for all of us plus the horses is…slim.”

Jongin guided the group to the start of the route, and true to his word, the path was located on the side of the first mountain in the cluster. Unfortunately, the road was too slender and steep for the horses to go across properly, not to mention it was right beside a crevice. Carefully treading to the edge of the cliff, Minseok couldn’t see the bottom of the abyss even if he tried. 

Baekhyun took one peek before he staggered back, chuckling nervously.

“We could always go around it.” 

Kyungsoo narrowed his eyes, “Or…”

Sinking down on one knee, the short Guardian set his hands on the ground and closed his eyes in concentration. Seconds later, a strange rumbling sound emitted from the path, forcing the group to take a few steps back in case the earthquake causes the cliff to collapse. But to their surprise, what happened was the complete opposite.

The path Jongin introduced started to expand as if the ledge was pushing itself out of the mountain. Stones of all shapes and sizes also rolled out of the way until there was nothing left than a clear trail going through the mountain range. Kyungsoo stood up and brushed off the dust on his pants, looking at the pathway he just created with satisfaction, before eyeing the group, who were all staring at him in astonishment.

“Shit, ‘Soo,” Chanyeol muttered, “That never gets old.”

The man mentioned rolled his eyes before taking his horse’s reins from the taller man, but Minseok caught the tiniest of smiles gracing his lips from when the Fire Guardian complimented him. With the help of the small orbs Baekhyun created to light the path, they cautiously began their trek through the Moonlight Range.

Minseok kept a reasonable distance behind the steeds to save themselves from the trouble of calming the horses down, but luckily, he had Jongdae to fill in the otherwise silent walk along the trail. Granted, with only a few noises that he can make without sounding too aggressive (curse this wild cat's throat physiology), it was pretty much a one-sided conversation. Still, with years of friendship at their disposal as they’ve known each other even before they were recruited as Guardians, Jongdae can understand most of his non-communicative responses.

“And then it turned into—”

“Heads up!”

Jongdae stopped mid-sentence as the group had fallen into a halt. Looking around, Minseok could see that they were about halfway through the trail, or at least very high up the side of the mountain; one sniff in the air and Minseok could tell the evident change in humidity and altitude…and something…odd.

“What’s wrong?” Jongdae questioned.

“There’s a boulder in the way,” came the reply of Chanyeol, “Kyungsoo can’t move it.”

_Another sniff._

There it is again. 

The scent was out of place, yet it's like it has blended in perfectly; like a smudge on an abstract painting. It was odorless, but it left Minseok's nose twitching in repulsion as soon as he caught a whiff of it. Leaving the unmovable boulder problem to the others, Minseok moved around, trying to find the scent again with his keen senses until—

_Woosh!_

Out of nowhere, the horses started squealing and moving about, thoroughly agitated and afraid as the others tried to calm them down. Meanwhile, Minseok felt his hackles rise at the shift in the air behind him, and he instinctively turned around and growled. 

A few feet in front of him was none other than a Red-eye.

Minseok lowered himself into a ready stance as his growl turned into a piercing yowl, gaining the attention of the others behind him. The eldest felt the lightning-wielder return to his side, but he kept his focus solely on the smirking woman clad in blood-red robes.

“It’s nice to see the Guardians in the flesh once again.” 

Her velvety and seductive tone didn’t match her aging face, but that wasn’t what Minseok focused on. Peering closer at the woman, she didn’t have a familiar face, unfortunately, meaning that she is either a new recruit or one of the Red Force officials who got away and hid. But she did mention that this wasn’t the first time she saw them, thus it was most likely the latter.

She gave them a feral grin, raising an eyebrow when the wind suddenly picked up, “Relax, wind keeper. I am not here to cause trouble...yet.”

“Tell that to the grunt who wrecked Exodus’s marketplace.” Sehun hissed.

“He’s a musclehead with orc blood, what else do you expect of him other than to destroy?”

The Red-eye scans their hardened faces one more time before finally settling her sights on Minseok.

“Oh, is this the pretty kitty my shadows won’t stop talking about?” The woman leans closer to the feline, “My, you’re even cuter in this form! It matches your eyes just as much as it matches your attitude: a pussy.”

Minseok snarls, insides coiling in disgust at the woman’s saccharine tone that didn’t match her words. He made a move towards the Red-eye, but was stopped by a hand tangling itself in his fur. Taking a glance towards Jongdae, the younger’s disapproving frown had sent a message to him immediately. 

_‘Don’t engage.’_

As calm as the woman appears to be, she was still as dangerous as the other Red-eye from before, possibly even more so judging by the brighter glare of her irises. And with Minseok as powerless as the day he was born, he wouldn’t stand a chance against their current adversary.

“Your little _stunt_ may have ruined a year’s worth of planning, but no matter.” She continues, “The past is in the past, but for you, kitten, is it really?”

Minseok tensed, his tail starting to lash from side to side. What is she talking about?

“That ugly thing around your neck speaks for itself, so don’t bother answering...if you can, that is.”

“Enough with your games.” Baekhyun growled out, amplifying the moonlight around them, “Leave now, lest I turn you and your shadows into indistinguishable dust.”

“You are in no position to threaten me, firefly.” 

Baekhyun smirked, “Threaten? It is just a mere suggestion that you should take into consideration.”

“If you choose to play your cards that way, so be it. _I_ suggest you cut your journey short and go back to your little towns.” The Red-eye sneered, “You may have won The War, but this... _spring_ of yours, or whatever you call it, doesn’t belong to you anymore.”

“How did you—”

“I got eyes and ears everywhere, _Suho. Do you_ think your humble abode is secure, hmm? You, of all people, should know that a single _crack_ can bring down the whole fortress.”

Minseok’s eyes widened ever-so-slightly before he managed to ease it into a glare once more. Unfortunately, the shift in his features didn’t go unnoticed by the woman.

“Ahh, and here’s our little culprit.”

The feline felt his ears pulling back in shame as all pairs of eyes turned towards him but he projected his embarrassment in unsheathing his claws, his contempt turning into anger at the Red-eye.

“Ooh, the pussy is getting angry now.” She singsongs, “What a pity. You call yourself the hyung yet you’re the one who put yourself in this mess and left all your brothers to clean it up.”

“Now what will you do, pussycat?” The Red-eye smirks, “Or better yet, what _can_ you do?”

He could feel the ribbons of his composure unraveling as her words fanned his flames. Darkness began to cloak their pale enemy, but with fury hazing Minseok’s mind and rationale, it made it harder for him to think of a reason as to why it was happening.

Determined to prove her wrong, Minseok rips himself away from Jongdae and springs at the enemy, claws outstretched and ready to tear her to shreds. 

The woman had the audacity to wink before disappearing into smoke, leaving Minseok to land on where she stood. It only came into his mind a second too late that he had fallen for the woman’s trap as the ground beneath him gave way, plunging him down the side of the mountain.

And straight into the abyss.


	3. Halfway There

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They say that one should never look down if they are situated in a high place, for the bottomless void will pierce their heart and freeze their hasty pace. But in Minseok’s case, it took one fleeting glance at the canyon before his entire system went into overdrive. 

He tries to stop his sporadic tumble down to his demise, but with the wind whistling in his ears and feeling of impending doom crawling on his back, it took him a few minutes too long before he was able to right himself with his panicking tail and stand as upright as one can be when sliding off the side of a mountain. With this, fate granted him a moment of stagnation to digest everything he was currently seeing. 

The feline was mildly surprised at how his body didn’t shut down at the sight of the terrifying plunge into darkness, but it soon dissolved into fear when it had just sunk in that he wasn’t safe yet. Scrambling to find anything to hold onto, the snow leopard soon found himself sliding down the steep mountain yet again, the small rocks and dust particles clouding his vision and making it very difficult to see where he was.

Even with his heightened senses, Minseok was still feeling muddled under the constant pounding of his head that seemed to resonate with his body helplessly grating into the rocks. Although the constant pressure was slowly digging into his mind, he willed himself to focus.

_Think! What do you have? You only have your ears, tail, paws, and—claws!_

With a jolt, he unsheathed the sharp ends and grappled onto the folds on the mountain, eyes shut tight as he felt his nails raking into the stones with a screech. Time seemed to slow down as did his fall, but his heart was beating rapidly, steadily awaiting the moment he ran out of rocks to grab onto and fall down the ravine. 

But with all the luck in the world, he soon found himself screeching to a halt.

Releasing a bated breath, Minseok kept his figure as still as possible despite feeling like his lower half was dangling in the air with nothing to hold onto. He tries to lift himself up, yet with his forelegs already singing curses to his very being, all he could do in the moment was crack his eyes open and survey the situation.

The ledge Kyungsoo made seem so far away from where he was, the man himself hurriedly making his way towards him using his abilities, albeit slowly as to not take the plunge like he did himself.

Suddenly, the thought of where he currently was hit him harder than his fall.

Pure dread washed over his system as it took every bit of his sanity not to look down, a whine slipping past his throat as he felt his claws loosen their hold. This was it, then. He was going to meet his fallen brothers sooner than expected. But in his turmoil, an inner voice seemed to have completely taken over.

_I will do this._

Like a switch that’s been flipped, the fear abruptly turned into pure adrenaline. It was as if his rationale had taken the back seat, and his mind let his body take control over his actions, his sight turning into tunnel vision with the same haze one would have as if he was in the middle of staying awake and passing out. The sudden changes all happened in the span of a few seconds, yet the absurdity of the juncture was toppled over by his will to live. 

_I will survive._

With a strangled growl, he started lifting himself up with his claws and what little edges he had to make do with, his sharp appendages scraping into the stone easily and his actions becoming more and more fluid as time passed. 

It was as if the movements were second nature to him by how he was able to tell what ledge was safe to sink his claws into and what was not in such a short period of time. His tail was lashing from side to side to keep himself balanced on thin folds, and not before long, he was able to pick up a shouting Kyungsoo just meters above him.

“Hyung!”

Minseok had squeezed himself onto a small platform for him to catch his breath on when his ears suddenly twisted upwards. Looking at the direction of the sound, he had never been so happy to see the earth-wielder forming stair-like ledges that were descending towards him. And with a relieved chuff and a few more seconds of climbing, he was back in the arms of a rather distressed Jongin.

Panting heavily, he was slowly taking in the fact that he was safe in the arms of his brother before fatigue washed over him like waves to sand. He leaned all his weight onto the younger as his legs started to wobble and give out, his tail also going limp. But as he was trying his best to stay awake, he noticed that his vision slowly returned to normal, and it felt like cotton had been taken out of his ears instead of whiting out completely because of his tiredness. 

But now that nothing was disrupting the sound from entering his sensitive ears, the concerned pleas of his brothers grew louder and more agitated. Minseok had tried to calm the situation down with a distressed whine, but that ultimately led to the opposite of what he wanted as the others misread the implication and started to panic.

The fatigue and confusion mixed in with the distressful noises finally tipped him over the edge.

A throaty yowl pierced through the voices, the sudden sound completely took them all off-guard as they flinched away from the feline, Jongin teleporting away from Minseok’s side to behind Kyungsoo’s back. Now with the silence taking over the atmosphere, the snow leopard gave a hard stare to the frozen humans before swaying precariously from where he stood, his legs buckling under his weight.

Minseok briefly felt a pair of hands saving him from planting face-first into the ground before the darkness consumed his consciousness.

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The sight of a campfire was the very first thing that greeted Minseok when he came to, the dull orange light illuminating the hunched blurry figures of whoever seems to be near it. Ears flicking around, he could faintly hear the rustling of leaves from above as well as the chirps of crickets singing in the vicinity. And oddly enough, there were no telltale noises of rocks falling and footsteps on gravel, or footsteps at all! Where was he?

Blinking away the sleep that was still clinging to his vision, Minseok can now properly see the tree branches swaying up above, barely hiding the moon that was slowly making its way across the sky. The soft breeze brushed through his fur for a moment before he sighed in relief, relishing in the coolness of the air before it disappeared. As much of a nuisance his powers were before, he was surely starting to miss it.

As he shifted from his spot, his ears turned to his right to where a gasp had sounded from, a silent “he’s awake!” and a few hushed voices breaking through the otherwise peaceful atmosphere. Panicked footsteps quickly followed the call, but Minseok was too focused on getting his quadruped body to work right to notice the concerned pairs of eyes staring at him.

Moving his limbs seemed sluggish as exhaustion lingered under his skin, but that was a given considering he had just woken up from god knows how long. Rolling himself onto his belly, he placed his two front paws in front of him before stretching the rest of him back, jaw widened in a yawn and throat rumbling contentedly when a few pops were heard from his joints.

“Hyung?”

Startled out of his focus, Minseok sat up and tilted his head in response, his tail curling around him instinctively from all the stares he was getting. He didn’t like to be looked at, to begin with, and with the odd looks he was receiving from the group, it had just amplified his anxiety even more. Some of them peered too closely at him for his liking but soon backed off with collective sighs, confusing the ex-human even more.

What was happening?

“Are you feeling okay now, Min?” Jongdae questioned, a small pout on his lips that formed whenever he would get too concerned, “It’s been three days since the incid—since we met up with that Red Force official and—”

Jongdae abruptly paused as Minseok recoiled at the younger's statement. Three days? That was how long he's been out for?! His ears raised up in surprise as he realized how much he missed within that time frame (which is most of the hiking, that he can already deduce) and started chuffing. Luckily, Sehun was quick to sense what his older brother wanted and was ready to follow up on the topic. 

“That bitch didn’t appear while you’re out, don’t worry.” The youngest muttered, combing his hand through his blonde hair, “We were already shaken up as it is when you…fell…”

Oh, that.

Heavy silence laced with tension unfolded itself within the group, with Minseok just now digesting what happened three days prior but was still missing a few key points and the others not knowing how to continue narrating the terrifying incident. Fortunately, Junmyeon took hold of the situation and summoned a bit of water to put in a bowl.

“Better stay hydrated first,” he placed the bowl in front of the snow leopard, “And then we’ll explain what we saw.”

After a few tentative slurps cooled down his parched throat, Minseok looked around him to see his brothers glancing at each other expectantly. Silent gestures moved about to persuade one and the other to explain to the confused predator, but their actions were even more concerning when they can’t even look him in the eye. After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence accompanied by subtle nudges and pointed looks, Jongdae took initiative and sighed.

“After you fell, the path started falling apart.” The Thunder Guardian swallowed nervously, “We had to move the horses upwards, or else we’d start going down too.”

“The boulder still couldn’t be moved so we had to resort to Jongin teleporting us to the other side,” Suho continued, “Kyungsoo wanted to go after you, but with the ledges starting to crumble, he had to keep us all upright.”

Kyungsoo looked down, hand coming up to brush against the elder’s furry shoulder, “I’m sorry. I really tried, hyung.”

Minseok nuzzled against the hand as he shifted closer to his side, his only means of communicating an _“it’s okay.”_

“But after Jongin teleported us to stable ground,” The short man followed, face still solemn, “We looked down and you…you were halfway into the ravine.”

Wait, what?

The feline ceased all of his movements as his sharp eyes looked around to find any hints of a bluff in his brothers’ features, but they all looked just as scared and nervous as the last. Had he really fallen into the abyss without knowing? No wonder his brothers all looked terrified when he came to, he just miraculously got back up from _that_ drop. 

But was it really a miracle?

“Jongin was very close to teleporting down there if you continued your drop,” Chanyeol exhaled as if he was still living in the devastating moment, “But…wow. You came right back up there like it was nothing.”

Minseok purred in thought, slowly shifting on his spot to lay down on his belly as he reminisced about the frightening moment. He was supposed to give up and let go, yet it was like a switch inside him turned on and _something_ prevented him from doing so. He was already exhausted enough so it couldn’t have been him. The moment prior to his salvation crossed his mind and a thought lingered for longer than he wanted to admit.

“I will survive”? 

It wasn’t him who thought of that. 

“You were jumping from rock to rock like you knew what you were doing.” Jongdae added, “By the time you had reached us, your fur was bristling and your eyes looked—”

“Feral.” Baekhyun finished, “Your irises changed into tiny black dots that made you look _wild_.”

Shifting forward to examine his reflection in the water, Minseok let out a small sigh of relief to see that he still had his large brown orbs, but worry soon bubbled up from the pit of his stomach when he saw a tiny bit of cerulean outlining the edges of his irises. 

This is not good. 

“Whatever this curse is, it isn’t _just_ a simple transformation.” Yixing exhaled shakily, “It’s just what I feared.”

“What? Why?”

“I ruled this out at first since hyung still had control over this form the last time I checked up on him,” Yixing sighed, “But what I failed to notice is that this transformation takes time.”

“Think of it as a parasite.” He took Minseok’s head in his hands before peering closely at the anomaly in his optics. “Even if placed on the victim by accident, incantations laced with Dark Magic are often the most silent, but are also the deadliest. They don’t force the host to succumb to their will, rather, they take control bit by bit until—”

“They kill the host.” Jongdae breathed out, horrified.

Yixing nodded grimly, “Minseok’s leopard side may have saved him from his demise, but that was only a product of instinct, not empathy. They still share the same body, so in other words, it was self-preservation.”

“So if they fell…” Sehun trailed off, shifting uncomfortably at the tension.

“Hyung goes down with it.”

Minseok felt himself tense as a chill ran down his spine as Jongdae and Kyungsoo shifted closer to his side. The clearing dissolved into silence as they took a few minutes to digest all the information that was dropped in that moment’s notice. Surprisingly, Jongdae was the first one to speak.

“How...how much time does Min have left?”

Yixing bit his lip in thought, glancing at Minseok’s eyes once more. “I can’t really say, ‘Dae. There’s not much information on the ritual other than the dagger, and that’s not even counting its disruption.”

“Regardless if it’s months or days, we’re still running out of time.” Junmyeon sighed, “And even if we get to the Spring of Life on time, we’re still not sure if it’s going to _work._ ”

“What do you mean _‘if’_?” Kyungsoo chimed in, “I thought our only problem was whether or not the waters were still there. Why are we having doubts about it working?”

Junmyeon and Yixing exchanged looks with each other before turning their heads to Minseok in sync, all three individuals weighing their options on the matter. They certainly wouldn’t want to cause panic amongst their brothers, but it would be best to keep them out of the dark in times like these to prevent misunderstandings in the future.

After a bit of finger-pointing from the two knowledgeable humans, the healer finally relents and relays everything the others need to know about the Spring and its waters. The atmosphere grew tenser as more and more information was revealed, and while Minseok thought the air was uncomfortable earlier, now it was suffocating.

“So that means...” Jongin trailed off.

“If Minseok-hyung doesn’t meet the Spring’s rules, he won’t turn back?” Baekhyun completes the younger’s words before giving a nervous chuckle. “Surely...surely you’ve met them now, right Minnie?”

“We wouldn’t be on this journey if he had, Baek.” 

Minseok narrows his eyes at the responder, a short rumble resonating from his throat. Meanwhile, Junmyeon just rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“Sorry, Min, but I— _don’t growl at me!_ —I know what you were going to answer, and you can’t keep lying to yourself like this! We’re going to the most dangerous place in Elyxion and you expect us to be hunky-dory and act like everything is going along just fine? Open your eyes, ‘Seok! We wouldn’t even _be_ here if it weren’t for you going up that mountain! And what was your reason?”

Minseok’s growl died in his throat as he began to feel all the heavy stares digging under his skin, but unfortunately for him, Junmyeon wasn’t letting up anytime soon.

“For our safety? For our protection? Come on, Min, that’s an excuse I've begun to hear from you ever since we’ve won The War.” He huffed, “I appreciate your will to keep us safe, I really do, but choosing the guilt from two years ago as your drive to keep going is...it’s just pure idiocy! Do you still think you failed as our hyung?”

“Jun, I think that’s eno—”

“Do you still think you’re the reason why they aren’t with us today?”

The clearing went quiet as they awaited his answer with bated breaths, and while Minseok had expected that they’ll touch on the subject of their fallen brothers eventually, he hadn’t expected Junmyeon to be so blunt about it. Thus, with his moment of hesitation on what to answer, the leader had made his point.

“Minseok. It’s time we settle this once and for all.”

The eldest tried to say _‘No, it’s not!’_ , but all he could do was let out a bitter grumble before turning to leave. But to his surprise, a jet of water wrapped around one of his paws and pulled him back to where he was before, the clear liquid returning to the bowl sitting in front of him once it completed its task.

“For MAMA’s sake, Minseok! Stop running away and listen to us! It wasn’t your fault, it wasn’t _any_ of our fault.”

“Junmyeon-hyung’s right,” Kyungsoo affirms, reaching out to put a comforting hand on the snow leopard’s shoulder but is met with a growl instead. “Hyung, just because you were the only one who hadn’t witnessed their de—their transcension doesn’t mean your absence played a role in it.”

Even with their reassuring words, Minseok couldn’t help but mew in shame and tuck his figure in himself, ears flattening to show his discomfort.

He was the only one capable of pushing back the Darkness from the fjord, and so he went and defended it on his own as the others fought the Red Force on the mainland. He wished he had abandoned his post and done something— _anything_ —to talk them out of it, but alas, he was blissfully unaware of what was about to happen.

“We were losing and they didn’t have a choice.” Chanyeol adds nervously, “They were the light we needed to win even if-...even if they couldn’t join us in the end.”

The thought of that bitter memory quickly turned his shame into self-hatred as the snow leopard let out a mixture of a growl and a hiss, making the giant flinch slightly. 

He thought of their light as a miracle as he suddenly felt a boost of energy that led him to stand his ground against the enemy, but once he returned to the sacred grounds to celebrate their victory, he realized that the aid was far from what he expected. 

One moment he felt almighty, then the world he built around his brothers crumbled just like that.

“I know that their departure was especially hard for you, hyung.” Junmyeon sighs, kneeling down so that he could meet with the troubled beast. “And I know you mean well in everything you do, but distracting yourself and running away from it isn’t going to help in the long run. It certainly isn’t helping us now, is it?”

Minseok looks down and shakes his head, tail thumping pitifully behind him.

“Everything is bound to end eventually. It’s better to close the door to your past now before it’s too late.” Yixing chimes in, “So why don’t we start with this?”

He gestures to his neck before reaching out with his hand and a dimpled smile, but unlike what he had expected, Minseok instantly recoiled with a snarl, clawed paws almost nicking the other’s hand if it weren’t for Junmyeon pulling him back.

The feline felt every word that was said leave from his ears as only one goal stayed from his mind. Shaking his head wildly, Minseok took one paw and covered the metal pendant from the onlooker’s view. This was the only memory he had of them, of his late brother and best friend, and he would be damned if he would let go of it just like that. 

With narrowed eyes and one more angry yowl, Minseok swiveled around and began to stalk off, But amidst the shouting voices, his ears abruptly stood up in alert as one managed to stand out and freeze him in place.

“Minseok!”

It wasn’t the thunder rolling in the horizon that scared Minseok, but the unadulterated fury that came with Jongdae’s call.

Shaking his head to get rid of the shock, the feline turned with the intent of baring his teeth at the looming figure of the younger to tell him to back off, but the sight of tears sliding down the younger’s face was enough to quell the growl building up his throat and catch him off-guard.

“I never once thought of talking back to you like this, but I—it’s because you—” More thunder clapped in the distance. “How could you be so blind at a time like _this_ ?! Stop trying to fool yourself! All of us can see that you're weighed down by the past all because _you_ can’t let go of the guilt that none of us should be shouldering in the first place!”

“You try so hard to carry all the responsibilities; to bear with the pain and fatigue just to protect us, but seeing you suffering is worse than all the Red Force’s attacks combined. It _hurts_ , hyung...it really does.”

All the hostility burning within the snow leopard completely dissipated the moment the lightning-wielder opened his mouth, but the bitterness of not being able to defend his side lingered in its place. Still, Jongdae’s outburst was enough to render him motionless as he struggled to think of what to do in response.

Thunder rumbled from above one last time and, before Minseok could think of anything to reply, he felt something wet sliding through his furry face, followed by another, then another.

“You might have created a storm, ‘Dae.” Junmyeon exhaled, turning around to take hold of the situation. “But that can’t be helped now. You know the drill guys, let’s build a shelter.”

And as they turned away one by one, Minseok began to feel like some of the droplets made it into his eyes, but he blinked them back and turned away.

## 🌕 
    
    
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The cypress’ branches creak under Minseok’s weight yet they steadfastly hold long enough so he can jump from tree to tree, occasionally looking back at the group who were more or less struggling to encourage their agitated horses and get through the swamp. While they were surely trained for speed, the bog’s knee-deep mud and slippery ground had considerably slowed them down.

This was one of the very few times he was thankful for his sudden prowess of climbing and keeping his balance on thin and unstable platforms. Such skill had proven to be useful since he can venture above the swamp instead of through it, because one, the murky waters reached past his shoulders and two, he had already sunk down the first day they came and it took almost half an hour to get him out. 

Minseok scrunched his nose, shivering at the memory and shook his fur to remove the dried residue of the slimy mud. He wasn’t going to do that again.

But that wasn’t the only thing he was avoiding.

For the past few days, their journey had been uncharacteristically quiet. Well, the snow leopard couldn’t exactly hold a proper conversation in the first place, but at least one or two of his brothers filled the silence with a few stories and anecdotes every time they stopped to take a rest. 

Yet, ever since the storm that brewed the other night, both in a metaphorical and literal sense, the group wallowed in the tense atmosphere that was the aftermath. And so, to hit two birds with one stone and save both parties from the awkward tension while avoiding the gloomy looks aimed at him, Minseok decided to distance himself from the rest of the group.

The branch beneath him groaned loudly in his ears, yet Minseok wasn’t perturbed by the sound, choosing to focus on dispersing his weight on the platform before jumping to the next branch. Minseok was thankful for the tiniest of noises such as that, the sound providing at least some distraction from the myriad of thoughts that accompanied him for the majority of their travel. 

With too little things to do alone, it had certainly given him more than enough time to reflect on the event that happened that night. But the more he dwelled on those thoughts, the more he felt guilt ebb away at his soul.

The fact that even Jongdae, the kind, calm, would-rather-hug-the-enemy-than-zap-them Jongdae, had raised his voice at the feline was alarming all on its own. And as much as Minseok hoped that they’d make up by sunrise, the younger hadn’t done much effort to talk to him, much less reconcile. This sparked a whirlwind of emotions inside the feline’s mind, but he was familiar in nothing but three; anger, resentment...loss.

The former two came and went like waves, but until now, Minseok still felt lost. 

But why?

He wanted to brush their fight off as an exchange of meaningless words as an effect of mental and emotional stress, but deep down, he knows it’s not. He hates how everything his brothers narrated was nothing but the truth, he hates how the truth affected him even after all these years. 

He hates that, even after all these years, he’s still holding on.

“Mmph!”

Just as Minseok landed on another branch, he picked up a tiny grunt and his ears turned towards his necklace like a needle in a compass, its weight suddenly introducing itself once more to the feline. But before he could connect the strange sound to his pendant, the metal snowflake started swinging wildly from an unknown force and had thrown off his core balance, making him wobble precariously on the branch. 

In a moment of panic, he dug his claws into the wood to prevent himself from toppling off the thin platform, his breath hitching when a soft splintering sound was heard from the foot of the branch. Staying as still on his spot as possible, Minseok dared to look down to see what was wrong. 

And to his surprise, clinging onto his pendant was a small humanoid figure dressed in thick smoke-like rags. A Sprite? When did it get there?

The creature let out a startled squeak as it’s beady red orbs came into contact with the feline’s, but upon Minseok’s piercing gaze, it still had enough courage to pull out a sword the size of a toothpick with its four-fingered hand while the other clutched tightly onto the pendant. 

Narrowing his eyes, Minseok let out a deep noise from his chest to serve as a warning for the Sprite, the action making the latter cower and meekly protect itself meekly behind its weapon. Satisfied with its fearful demeanor, Minseok had half the mind to jump to the nearest branch before shaking it off when the creature suddenly brought down its sword.

And, without hesitation, sliced the necklace off his neck before escaping to another branch.

Minseok barely registered his tense figure straightening as panic flared through his system, a loud yowl escaping his throat as he watched his forepaws leave the platform underneath him in favor of swiping at the little thief. Unfortunately, a splintering crack was heard as a result of his rambunctious movement just before the branch gave away.

Panicked shouts began to fill the swamp as a loud _splash_ sounded from where he landed, but Minseok got back up from the muck like it was nothing, the eldest more worried on the Sprite taking off with his most prized possession than his own wellbeing. Scanning the branches of the bald cypress trees, it didn’t take long before to find the shine of the pendant against the golden rays of the late noon sun.

“Minseok-hyung! What—” 

The eldest didn’t let Chanyeol finish as he began flailing to rise from underneath the mud, digging his paws into the semi-solid sludge before slowly, but surely, making his way to stand on one of the cypress’s large roots. 

Heaving out a few shaky breaths, Minseok eyed the escaping Sprite before glancing back at his shouting brothers, most of whom had dismounted their horses and wade through the murky water just to reach him. 

Minseok stilled for a moment, eyes fleeting towards one party to the other before getting his attention taken away by a call from the Sprite. Even from where Minseok was, he could still see the skittish look replaced by a haughty smirk as the creature stuck its tongue out, waving his pendant in the air like a prize before taking off once again.

In a fit of rage, Minseok didn’t even bat an eye at his shouting group before racing after the little thief, but with most of the floor doing its best to slow him down, he had to resort to the rock-like mounds and large roots to get by. The feline was lunging awkwardly from one platform to the next, struggling not to slide off while keeping track of the Sprite.

“Yoohoo!”

Minseok snapped his head towards the call, frown deepening as he watched the Sprite taunt him once more, but this time, by dangling the pendant down the branch like it was nothing but a mere toy.

_Give it back._

Minseok barely had time to register the voice before he lurched forward again, his senses clouding over by the sheer anger coursing through his veins. He felt hyperaware the same time he felt numb, balancing precariously in this limbo of tame and wild. 

Minseok felt a sniveling sense of deja vu as his tunnel-like vision focused on the Sprite, but the Sprite’s agile nature of vaulting from one branch to another only fueled more hatred towards the creature. 

_Give._

His leaps become longer and more precise.

_It._

His claws extended in one swift motion.

**_Back._ **

A piercing yowl broke through the trees as the others watched Minseok wall-jump from vertical tree trunk to tree trunk with ease. When the Sprite dared to look back one more time and saw the hulking beast flying towards him, it squeaked in panic and tried to merge with what little shadow there was to escape. Unfortunately for it, Minseok had managed to clamp his jaw on it before the creature was able to do so.

The feline dropped onto a large stone with as much grace as he could muster with a Sprite shrieking and squirming in his jaws, but by now, he was too far gone. His head was shaking fiercely without his own accord and he could feel his teeth clamping harder on the Sprite. The black spots were about to consume his vision and it was just about time before—

“Hyung!”

  
  


Jongdae couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

The moment the snow leopard snapped his head towards him, Jongdae could only focus on the shining blue orbs staring at his soul. While it may not be as menacing as the red ones he was used to seeing, it was unnerving to see such an electrifying color on the eldest. 

The beast saw him approaching and snarled, but unlike Minseok’s snarl from four nights prior, this was more feral; more _animalistic._ It had sent goosebumps forming along his arms and rendered him completely immobile.

This wasn’t their hyung.

Jongdae didn’t have any time to react before the leopard had dropped the creature and his pendant and reached him in two large leaps. The blonde man instinctively raised his arms and turned his body to the side to protect his vital organs from the nearing leopard, snapping his eyes shut as he awaited the inevitable claws meeting flesh. Yet to his surprise, a strangled yowl reached his ears before someone grabbed the back of his tunic and pulled him away.

Hesitantly opening his eyes to peer at the situation, he found the snow leopard unconscious a few meters away from him, half of his body sinking into the dank sludge while his head rests pitifully on a tree root. Out of the corner of his eye, he can spot Sehun with both his arms raised in front of him, the youngest’s palms sporting a green glow before it faded to its normal color.

Jongdae gave a grateful smile to the shaking male who nodded his head in acknowledgment, dropping his hands to his side before immediately curling himself next to Yixing, who accepted him with a warm embrace. He must have felt bad on using his abilities against the eldest, but it had been justified. Now, they need to get a grasp on what was happening to their hyung before he starts acting up again.

“Kyungsoo!” Junmyeon calls out, “The Sprite!”

The man widens his eyes for a moment before clasping his hands together. The dizzy little creature didn’t have time to stand before it was encased in stone, its head poking out of the trap.

Now that it has been taken care of, Jongdae trudged over to Baekhyun’s side before they cautiously crept over to the unconscious feline. His rational side knew that he may still be the wild beast they had met a mere few minutes ago, thus he dampened his instinct of running over to him as fast as he could and focused on charging his power in case the snow leopard turned feral once more.

The duo immediately raised their arms in alert when the snow leopard suddenly shifted, a deep growl rippling from his throat as he slowly lifted his head off the slimy bark to gaze silently at the approaching men, but something was...changing? 

Squinting to get a closer look at Minseok, Jongdae can see the swirls of brown and blue that made up the color of his irises, the two hues suddenly appearing over each other in small bursts as if they were fighting one another. But before they can ponder over what it meant, the feline broke his gaze and leaned back on the Cypress with his ears flat on his skull, his growl pitching up to form a broken whine.

“You saw that too, right?” Jongdae found himself asking. “Please tell me that was you, Baek.”

To the younger Guardian’s dismay, the light-wielder shook his head sadly. “I wish it was me.”

Ignoring all rhyme and reason (as well as Junmyeon’s warnings), Jongdae crossed the gap and knelt in front of the whimpering feline, raising a hand to gently brush against the dirt-matted fur on the side of his face. The Guardian held his breath as the snow leopard tensed under his hand, momentarily ceasing from making any sounds, before finally leaning against his palm with a purr.

“Minseok-hyung?” He whispered, fearing that a louder volume will harm the eldest. “Is this really you?”

The tired wild cat had done his best to nod as his eyelids fluttered open, and Jongdae failed to suppress a surprised gasp, for while his right iris stayed as a chocolate-brown hue, his left one had shifted into a dark blue tinge. Jongdae closed his mouth immediately once Minseok bowed his head in shame, fist clenching in anger at the sight of the eldest looking so defeated.

They will pay for this.

“M-Minseok? Hyung?”

Minseok looked up after a moment of hesitation to see Jongin looking as nervous as he was, but in his hands was something that made the eldest perk up in surprise.

“This is yours, right? Well, I already know it’s yours, but I had to make sure you’re you and—wait, let me rephrase that, I—” Jongin cleared his throat to cut off his rambling before offering the necklace to the other. “I fixed the chord.”

Minseok let out a purr of thanks as he momentarily stared at the object, dichromatic eyes gazing at the metal snowflake for a moment too long before he bowed his head once more to let the younger man put it on him. But as it weighed heavily on his neck once again, discomfort seeped through his fur. And unfortunately, it wasn’t from the newly-formed knot digging into his nape.

“I’m sorry if I ruined the moment.” Kyungsoo suddenly chimed in, “But now that Minseok-hyung’s back, we still have this Red-eye to attend to.”

All heads turn to the squirming Sprite, who was now babbling unintelligible gibberish at the air as the Guardians examined it closely.

“Hmm, usually Sprites like these speak common tongue, more so if they’re part of the Red Force.” says Yixing, “Can you talk?”

Unfortunately, the Sprite paid no heed to the healer’s question and even shrieked louder, which didn’t sit well with a certain Fire Guardian. Lighting up his palm, Chanyeol approached the creature with a pissed off expression that the Sprite wasn’t able to ignore.

“I-I talk! I talk!”

The Sprite’s voice was high-pitched and unintelligible in some parts, but Chanyeol was satisfied it started to cooperate. Bending down towards the creature, he began the interrogation.

“The Red Force must have sent you, right? Why are you here?”

“B-bosses want angry cat! It’s plan!”

Junmyeon furrowed his brows. “Plan? What plan?”

“Man transform, forever cat!” It squeaked, “Angry cat is delay travel. That leaders say.”

Kyungsoo intensified his glare at the Sprite. “The Red Force ordered you to anger Minseok-hyung to—to delay us, so that he’ll finish transforming into a cat permanently?” He interprets out loud, “And when will this transformation finish?”

“I-I don’t know—”

Chanyeol enhanced his fire as he took another step forward.

“No moon! Dark sky, no moon!”

“No moon...” Baekhyun repeats, slapping his forehead once he gets the interpretation. “By MAMA’s hand, it’s talking about the new moon! That’s less than a fortnight from now!” 

Contented with the Sprite’s answers, Jongin and Kyungsoo share a look before the former materializes behind the creature. He then quickly snatched the Red-eye as Kyungsoo lowered down the trap before side-eyeing the little thief.

“Anything else you’d like to share?”

The Sprite’s expression immediately darkened, crimson eyes shining in hate and humiliation as its voice dropped a few octaves. “You’ve lost! Bosses said so! Time always seems to move faster—”

“That’s enough. Take him away, Jongin.”

Upon Junmyeon's command, the younger man disappears with the Sprite. A beat of silence passed before Baekhyun and Jongdae began to help Minseok get back on his feet as Yixing checked for any major injuries. Once he was finally settled on the large stone, Minseok gave a purr of thanks to the three before turning towards the rest of the group, all of which seem to be focused on something in the distance.

Following their gaze, his bi-colored orbs settled on the full moon rising in the distance, and the unease returned to his core. 

_Time always seems to move faster…_

_...when it’s running out._


	4. Last Quarter

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Minseok wasn’t sure what to expect when they arrived in Black Pearl, but thankfully, it was within his plethora of guesses. As soon as their horses stepped foot on the cobblestoned floor, the men guarding the entrance turned towards the streets and announced their arrival. The group dismounted and began making their way through the main street, but the number of onlookers running up to meet them was a bit overwhelming.

People began swarming out of their homes to greet the nine, shouting praises and cheers as they were held back by armored men. But after a few moments, Minseok watched in rapt attention as the crowd before them parted easily as one of the Grandmasters approached, his aura commanding nothing but respect while donning a calm and chipper face.

The dark-haired male raised a hand to silence the onlookers before nodding towards the group as Junmyeon led them in a deep bow, Minseok doing his best to match the actions of his brothers. Minseok can feel the eyes of the male boring into his figure, but after a few more moments, the Grandmaster gestures for them to rise with a smile.

“Our Guardians, we welcome you back to Black Pearl.”

Junmyeon nods. “The pleasure is all ours, Grandmaster Yunho.”

The crowd erupts in cheers once more before the group is finally let in, sending their horses off with the local stable hands as they swiftly bow to each and every creature who welcomes them. 

Minseok spots their leader seriously discussing something to their mentor before they both turn to the fjord looming over in the distance, its fog of Darkness sticking out amongst the otherwise beautiful scenery like a dark streak on an empty canvas.

The last stretch of their adventure.

“A short letter would have been quite helpful, Suho.” Minseok hears Yunho chide gently, “Nonetheless, what’s done is done. I’ll see to it that our best captain knows about your voyage, but in the meantime, we’ll inform Changmin about Xiumin’s predicament and work on that solution of yours.”

Yunho briefly conversed with the patrol guard waiting steadfastly by his side before sending him off. Without a moment to lose, they left the archway and traveled through the streets. As they walked through the cobblestone path, Minseok began to marvel at the tall buildings and shops looming over the street and took a glance at Junmyeon, but he seemed to be just as amazed as he is.

“It feels nice to be back in my hometown.” He comments, “But I don’t think I recognize these houses.”

Yunho smiles. “You’ve been away for quite some time, then. The people of El Dorado merged with Black Pearl after The War and began building houses in lieu of piers, seeing as they couldn’t use them anymore due to the Darkness blocking the fjord.”

“So Black Pearl now isn’t known for their surplus of docks, then.”

“Yes, some of the elders were pretty upset about it, but change is a necessary part of our lives. Black Pearl will always be the seaside capital of Elyxion, but for the safety of our people, we prohibited anyone from going too far out.”

By the time they arrived at the Town Hall, a man was sitting by the stairs and smoking his pipe, eyes twinkling mirthfully once he caught sight of the incoming group. Standing up with the help of his cane, he chuckled.

“Well, I’ll be. Not one of yer men told me I’ll be taking our Guardians up the Lucky One, Yun-Yun.”

“Apologies for the short notice, Captain, but your expertise is greatly needed in their voyage.”

“Ah, well, don’t get yer knickers in a twist, lad. She’ll be shipshape and docked by the morrow.” The Captain waved off. “But I might need a few heads to man the Lucky One in the journey.”

After exchanging a few looks with his brothers, Junmyeon nods to the man. “We’re willing to lend a hand, if that’s alright with you.” 

The man was surprised for a moment before he bellowed out a laugh. “Well, the twine ain’t knotting themselves. We can head to the pier and I’ll teach ya the ropes!”

Yunho nods towards the Captain. “Very well, then. Suho and Xiumin will be enough for our discussion, yes? Then come, we have no time to waste.” After sending off the rest of the group with the sprightly man, Minseok turns to the large structure before climbing up the short staircase.

Opening the doors of the Town Hall, Yunho calls out into the hall before a tall blonde male steps out from one of the rooms, heavily focused on buttoning up his robe. “Finally, you’re back! The patrol said that the Guardians are at the—” Turning around, the male froze at the sight of an audience watching his every move, but then he tilted his head as he looked straight at the feline. “Wait, that’s Minseok?”

“Glad to see that your telepathy is still doing you good.” Yunho rolled his eyes. “To the common room. We have much to talk about.”

Minseok stared in awe as an oval table began appearing out of nowhere, four chairs of all sizes following after. Glancing back to a standing Yunho, the man didn’t seem to be breaking a sweat at the showcase of abilities, but that was to be expected from one of the demi-gods with the power of matter manipulation.

After settling around the table, Junmyeon began to relay everything to the two Grandmasters of Elyxion, leaving no details left unsaid. Silence permeated through the room once Junmyeon finished, and as much as Minseok wanted to wait patiently for the verdict, the constant whispers in his mind were getting a bit deafening in the silence, and so he couldn’t help but rake his nails on the pillow he was sitting on.

The voices had gotten louder since the incident at the swamp, a byproduct of the parasite in his system that kept repeating what it can do, in gruesome detail, once he loses control. It had been manageable for the most part, but being so close to a large concentration of Darkness had riled them up once more.

After a few more moments, Yunho sat up straighter. “I have no qualms about you using the waters, but the waters, on the other hand, may beg to differ.” He mused, “I trust that Lay already explained what needed to be done?”

“Well, mostly.”

Nodding, Yunho turns to Changmin and they momentarily exchange knowing expressions. The younger man turns to the snow leopard and tilts his head, dark eyes boring deeply into the other that, no matter how hard Minseok tried, he can’t seem to look away. As the elder man traps him in his gaze, Minseok barely hears the explanation Yunho was telling.

“As keepers of the Spring of Life, it has been our duty to judge all who wish to accept the blessing of its water, and while it is that you are Guardians yourselves, that doesn’t mean you are exempted from the rules of the Spring. But with the help of Changmin’s abilities, we might be able to tell if the water will grant you your second life.”

The blonde male shifts his eyes away in favor of addressing Yunho’s call and Minseok feels like he can breathe properly again. But upon closer inspection, it seemed that the voices were also dulled down. Not completely gone, but muffled enough to not be a bother. 

Eyes wide, Minseok managed to get the telepath’s eye as he was talking to the other and the latter gave him a small knowing smile in return before he started to explain.

“Well, it isn’t pretty. The Dark Magic’s slowly working its way up his subconscious, so that might explain the incident in the swamp. I’ve managed to put a barrier to stop those episodes from happening in the meantime, but it wouldn’t last long.” Changmin sighs, “This may just be one of the only perks I can get from having abilities that neither sides with Light or Dark.”

“But going back to the matter at hand. Will the Spring grant him his second life?”

“It’s, uh, complicated. The mind is placated with time. Like, it _thinks_ it knows that Minseok’s healed and has moved on, but it still has that-...that _something_ that’s preventing him from actually doing so.” The moment Changmin looks down and points towards his chest, Minseok immediately knows what it was. “And I think that might be connected to it.”

Minseok knew that it would be very unbecoming of him if he whined at his mentors’ faces, but why does his necklace play such a huge part in all of this?

“It’s your anchor, Min.”

Startled, Minseok jolted from his seat to look at Changmin as he stared back. Oh, right. Telepathy.

“Yes, telepathy. But back to what I said, is it not?” The blonde male asks, “You’ve formed such a strong sentimental connection to it that it became a...a part of you, if that makes sense. Your necklace helped ground you by reminding you of the happy memories you had, but then it just turned into a weight, keeping you rooted to one spot—one timeline—that you think happened because of you.”

Minseok bowed his head for a moment, one paw taking a hold of the shining metal snowflake, stomach dropping sadly, but strangely, not as heavy as when his brothers confronted him. The truth hurt, of course, but at least he was finally presented with a concrete reason. 

“So...in order for the Spring’s magic to work, Minseok just has to let go of his necklace, right?”

“Not exactly, Suho. He needs to separate himself not only with the object but also with the memories attached to it, no matter how good or bad, in order to reconcile with his loss and move on. We can make Xiumin turn over his necklace right now, but that still won’t make a difference.” Yunho eyes Minseok seriously, “He needs to do it on his own accord.” 

“Time placates the mind, but it doesn’t cure,” Changmin advises. At his glance, Minseok wants to prevent the telepath from reading his muddled mind, but with the past week filled with fighting the voices in his head, he was just too mentally exhausted to do so. “It might take a few more days, but do note that there’s a path right before you, waiting for you to take the first step.”

A hand of comfort landed gently on his shoulder and he couldn’t help but lean closer towards it. “We’re always here to help and light your way. Just take our hand and we’ll go through it together.”

A knock on the door suddenly sounded in the distance before it opened, joyful singing and laughter echoing through the air before the Captain and the rest of the Guardians happily filed in. Some of them had toned down their voices in embarrassment as the onlookers watched, but the Captain chuckled heartily at their faces. 

“These scallywags be ready for the seven seas. She’s ready to sail tonight!”

  
  


The ship was simple yet majestic all on its own, the flag of Elyxion flying proudly on top of the mainmast. From the sandy seaside, Minseok can see a few boxes lying on some place where they shouldn’t be as well as rope tied precariously on the rails, but the sight of his brothers so happy while manning the ship brought a fond smile to his face.

From the corner of his eye, Minseok spots their leader talking to Yunho once more, and he decides to perk his ears towards them to eavesdrop for a bit.

“Your abilities will weaken considerably once you’ve entered through the fog, but I doubt that would stop you from reaching your goal, will it?” 

Yunho gazes at the fjord in the distance, or at least what was not covered by Darkness, before kneeling down to gather a handful of sand, twigs, and stones. His hands glowed dimly around the materials as they slowly melded together until an hourglass sat in his hands. “The new moon is about three days away. Turn this over once midnight strikes tonight and you’ll get an exact time on when the black moon will rise.”

“The moment the last grain falls to the bottom, you will have lost your brother to the Darkness.”

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By the fifty-eighth thump in the hull of the ship, Minseok had given up on retiring for the night.

Their journey, the warning, his fight; all of this was just beginning to sink in for the snow leopard now that they’re nearing the end. It was just a matter of time before they finally reached the sacred lands, but it was no doubt the Red Force would be ready for their arrival. And what will happen then? 

Minseok gently nudged a snoring Jongdae’s arm off his back before standing up, mentally taking note of the gap between Sehun and Yixing before climbing the wooden stairs to the deck. The whispers were starting to increase in volume again and he needed to clear his head.

The air felt oddly welcoming despite the literal fog of Darkness surrounding them, but with the magical parasite slowly conquering his system, it was just a matter of time before Minseok caved under the pressure. Tuning out the whispers settling in his mind, Minseok shared a nod with the Captain before turning to the forecastle, where Junmyeon was looking off into the sky and the hourglass.

The feline’s chuff managed to startle the leader as he fumbled with the object, yet he managed to take a hold of it and set it down with a sigh of relief.

“Oh, Minseok. We...we’ve just passed the first half of the fjord if that’s why you’re up.”

Junmyeon stared at the turned eldest for a moment too long before he cleared his throat and awkwardly shimmied to the side to make way for the snow leopard. Sending a look of thanks towards the leader, Minseok sits on one of the boxes to gaze over the expanse of the inlet and cliffs.

“Do you remember the stories they made about us?” 

Minseok turned away from the cliffs to look curiously at the leader. He seemed to be more interested in the way his fingers drummed on the wood, but Minseok was sure the question was aimed at him, so he chuffed and tilted his head to the side.

“I’m sure you remember at least one or two. ‘The Boy on the Mountain’ is yours, right?” He chuckled. He raises his fingers to list off a few more titles. “There’s ‘The Windkeeper’, ‘Dragon and Phoenix’, ‘The Little Mer...myeon—okay, I think that’s enough.”

Minseok snorts, tail swaying amusedly as the younger man cleared his throat once more. Even with the Darkness surrounding them, the feline could still see the other’s reddening ears.

“But, yeah, stories. There’s even a tale about this very place, wasn’t there? The Fjord of Legends. Otherwise known as the gateway to the sacred lands.” Junmyeon spread his arms out. “They say that the twelve colossi that stood on each side of the cliffs, each representing the Guardians, will wake from their slumber by the call of their master and defend El Dorado if need be. ”

They passed one of the colossi while Junmyeon was deep in his narration, one of its arms missing and its face badly weathered in time. From the damaged crest on its chest, Minseok couldn’t tell if it was Sehun’s or Jongin’s, but it’s not like it mattered anyway. Junmyeon glanced at the passing statue with a small longing smile.

“But at the end of the day, they’re just what they are: tales, legends, whatever people call them nowadays. They didn’t help us defend El Dorado, how I wished they did. But hey, at least they make good bedtime stories.” Junmyeon smiled to himself, “I remember reading to the youngsters every night, a long, long time ago. They all used to be angsty little teens, weren’t they? Snarky but so afraid of what they’re capable of, especially Tao.”

At Minseok’s side-eye, Junmyeon chuckled.

“What? They’re deceased, not _a_ disease, Min. We shouldn’t avoid saying their name like the plague.”

Minseok looks on as Junmyeon grows silent as if the man was waiting for him to react before he sees the other’s shoulders relax. Junmeyon meets the other’s gaze with a mirthful one of his own before turning back. 

“Now, where was I again? Ah, our Taozi. He was delighted when he got his gift, even more so when he reached his potential. But he was devastated when he found out he couldn’t tamper with any events that happened in time. All of this information, from the past and the future, had weighed him down to the point that he hated himself. Heh, I wouldn’t be surprised if he saw what will happen in the final battle.”

“To Taozi, his power was more of a curse than a blessing, and he held the guilt of not being able to help when he could have every time we got hurt.”

The implication of the anecdote was silent but Minseok had gotten what Junmyeon wanted to show. 

“But he got over it eventually. It started with the little things. He began meditating, he focused more on the positive outcomes, and a few months before The War started, he began talking to me and Kris about his visions. From being a strong oak tree, he became bamboo, and he finally began to like his powers.”

Minseok lets his tail rest by his feet, eyes downcast as his brother’s words sunk into the thick skull of his. As much as his body tried to flinch away from Junmyeon’s outstretched hand, his mind clung onto every single syllable that escaped his mouth.

“So, where will you start?”

After a beat or two of silence, Minseok took a step closer towards Junmyeon with shaking paws and bared his neck, his will already being tested as he felt lithe fingers brushing against the woven thread. But while he braced himself for the act, what he didn’t expect was a loud _thump_ before he was suddenly thrown forward and nearly off the ship.

“Iceberg!”

Minseok swiftly got back on his feet, looking around to see the air almost void of the smoke-like wisp as it all was swept to the side like one would do to a curtain on a warm and sunny day. But the landscape wasn’t sunny nor warm. Not at all. 

Almost every single surface was covered in ice.

Looking around the frozen wasteland, Minseok felt the butterflies in his stomach turn to lead once he realized where they were. The frost—his own element— was so well-preserved in the Darkness even after two whole years had gone by since he defended El Dorado in this place. But just about his legs were about to give out from shock, a familiar voice rang out from the void-like wall.

“Oh, pretty kitty! Remember me?”

Alarmed, Minseok rushed up to the side and unsheathed his claws in one swift motion, digging them into the wood as the waves and ice started to careen against the side of the ship. The echo had made it harder to pinpoint the direction of where the call came from, but it didn’t take long before the deafening sound of rumbling from the cliffs and stone grinding against stone filled the fjord.

“Blimey!” He heard the captain yell. Whirling around, he was startled to see his half-asleep brothers jolt up in full attention when they saw the terrain, but it didn’t take long before they saw something else in the area. “Something’s coming alive on the rocks!”

Minseok barely had time to turn back to the cliffs before a pillar-like arm shot out in the Darkness and took hold of one of the icebergs, gripping it tightly before pulling the rest of its body out of the shadows. 

The roar of the earth sounded more and more violent as the colossi slowly broke off from the cliffs, but a certain individual caught his eye as the moving statue popped its head out for them to see. Right on the colossi’s half-broken and chipped crown was none other than the crimson-eyed woman from before, her entire body from the neck down covered with dark tendrils that looked vaguely like ebony silk ropes that controlled the colossi’s every move.

Minseok and the others apprehensively watched as wisps of the Darkness followed the stone giant as it broke through the ice and waded through the cold sea, but even with its legs submerged under the water, it still towered the ship by a thousand miles. 

“It seems like our warnings didn’t go through those thick skulls of yours. But now that you’re in our side, face the wrath of the _true_ rulers of Elyxion!” 

The colossi raised its rectangular leg before stomping on the ground with as much force as its commander had mustered, the impact forming large waves that broke through the icebergs and were about to swallow the ship if it weren’t for Junmyeon raising his arms and commanding it to halt. But even so, with this much Darkness surrounding them and weakening their powers, the wave had still knocked them back for a few tides.

“Sehun and I will keep this ship from capsizing!” Junmyeon exclaims, “All of you find other ways to knock her off!” 

Releasing his grip on the rails, Minseok moved away for the others to set to work and find a compromise for their weakened powers. The ones who can deal with long-range had already begun firing what little attacks they could create at the enemy as the rest manned the cannons, but unfortunately, the greatest damage they could get was chipping off one of the colossi’s ears. 

Leaping onto the quarterdeck to get a better view, Minseok grimaced as the colossi swatted away their attacks like they were just bothersome flies. It wasn’t long before she began advancing towards them tearing through the icebergs and leaving chips of broken sleet in her wake.

“This battle isn’t faring well for us, lad.” The Captain muttered, “Almighty MAMA, help us. Methinks we wouldn’t survive these subzero waters.”

Another strong wave has pushed them back once more and tipped the ship towards the side of the cliffs, making Minseok stagger a bit. But in that moment, something had caught his eye. Poking through the darkness was an overhang tall enough to reach the colossi’s crown. An idea quickly forms in Minseok’s mind and, with one fleeting glance at the struggling Guardians, he readies himself for what’s to come.

This is for his brothers.

Using the rails to his advantage, Minseok vaulted off the ship and into the wall of Darkness before anyone but the Captain could notice. Minseok froze for a moment as the wisps coiled around his climbing figure, but with the Dark Magic in his system, it paid no attention to the feline and uncoiled itself around him immediately. Releasing a tapering breath, Minseok began his ascent towards the overhang.

Minseok felt like his heartbeat was ticking as fast as the time he had left as soon as he reached the top, the gravity of his plan only sinking in once he saw the Red-eye and the head of the colossi nearing the overhang. He let his claws dig into the soft soil beneath him, releasing some of the pent-up tension from his muscles as he did his best to calm his breathing.

It’s now or never.

Righting his tail, Minseok backed up for a few steps before charging straight towards the overhang, keeping his ears pinned against his skull to lessen the wind whistling in his ears. Minseok barely had the time to register the yowl ripping out of his throat before he pushed back against the overhang, his entire body flying through the gap and onto the colossi.

Unfortunately, his landing wasn’t as graceful as his leap as he took a tumble on the space behind the Red-eye, almost sliding off the edge if it weren’t for his claws digging into the mossy surface to halt his stagger. If his lunge wasn’t enough to catch the Red-eye’s attention, then the screeching sound of his claws scratching on stone would be.

Red orbs came in contact with Minseok’s bi-colored ones and the colossi rumbled to a stop, the ropes of Darkness coming off of the woman before she could face him fully.

“Oh, it’s just you.” She turns away to stare at the landscape. “Isn’t this view just _lovely?_ This doesn’t hold a candle to what the Eclipse has done, but it’s breathtaking nonetheless. Don’t you agree?”

Minseok growled. Nothing good ever comes from the dark.

She faced him with a giggle. “Of course, that’s how the ally of Light would react. But tomorrow, that will change.” The Red-eye smirks at him. “Tomorrow, _you_ will change. I can’t wait until we could train you to turn on your brothers.”

The feline felt his hackles rise at her remark, yet he tried to calm himself down. He can’t just let his emotions get the best of him again. He needs to be smart about this. 

“We’re doing you a favor, kitten. Everything is so much better being a cat than a Guardian.” He moves to the opposite of where she was sauntering, keeping his distance as he tried to find her weak spot. “No worries, no pain, no guilt...isn't that what you’ve been running away from this whole time?” 

Minseok’s steps suddenly faltered at her words. From the corner of his eye, he could see the woman smirk and move a few strides closer. “All that running, yet it led you right to where it began. Look around, the world works in strange ways, no?”

Shaking his head, the feline hissed and tried to back away from the Red-eye, but he immediately froze once he heard the next words of the woman.

“I was there when it happened.” 

The Red-eye was suddenly before him. “When your brothers were trying to change their minds. But alas.” A kick to the ribs sent him spiraling to the other side of the colossi’s head. “They were one voice too short.”

Minseok released a whimper as he rolled to his front, tensing when he felt thin fingers rake through his fur.

“Tell me, kitten, was it worth it? Was losing three lives worth more than the freedom you have today?”

Minseok hung his head in response, the feline missing the glint of the dagger in the woman’s hand as she gave a sneer. No, it wasn’t.

“Well, then. It’s time for you to—”

But seeing eight smiles every day is.

Raising his head, Minseok rolled away from the incoming blade before lunging at the Red-eye, teeth sinking in the arm that held the weapon. The unholy shriek that came from the woman pierced through his ears, yet he held on steadfastly. Unfortunately, a strong kick to the gut had taken him by surprise and knocked all the air out of his lungs, sending him flying back a couple of feet and landing heavily on his back in the process. 

“Filthy mouse-eater! You’ll—you’ll pay for this!”

Minseok turned his head just as the Red-eye came upon him. But just before she brought down the dagger to his chest, he placed all the force he can muster on his hind legs and kicked her off of him just in time, knocking her off the colossi and to her own demise. 

A loud grumble resonated from the floor before Minseok struggled to keep himself upright. The unmanned giant was starting to fall and he knew he had to get off there lest he fell with it too. But as the colossi began to crumble, Minseok dared to look over the edge to see if the Red-eye had truly fallen, only to recoil when a hand shot out from below and gripped on his necklace.

“What’s the matter, kitty?” The Red-eye cackled wildly, the necklace being the only thing keeping her from falling. Minseok widened his eyes in panic as they slowly began descending with the stone giant. He needs to free himself from the woman’s hold, but with most of his supply of oxygen getting cut off, it was getting harder to think of a plan.

“Such a beautiful pendant you got there.” Her vicious expression looked more wicked as the blood from her wounds dripped steadily on her face. “Let’s go meet its maker, shall we?”

Something snapped inside Minseok as he bared his teeth in return and raised a clawed paw to his neck, chuffing as a way to say, _“No, only you.”_

With one quick swipe, Minseok was free from the thread that dragged him down and plunged the Red-eye down with the falling rocks.

A wave of relief washed over the feline along with his deep breaths and, for once in a long time, he felt free.

Unfortunately, Minseok didn’t have the time to relish the moment as he noticed himself descending with the colossi once again. Picking up more shouts, his ears turn back towards the ship where most of them were telling him to...to... 

“Jump, Minseok!” Junmyeon shrieks, “For MAMA’s sake, JUMP!”

And then he did.

His limbs flapped wildly in the air as he shut his eyes and braced himself for impact, momentarily taking note of the wind picking up and helping him slow down and glide through the air until he felt himself crash, not into the freezing water, but into the solid wood that was the mast. Thankfully though, the hard gale was somewhat enough to save him from getting a concussion or breaking a bone or two.

“Minseok! Are you alright?!”

Dozens upon dozens of questions greeted him once he slid down from the wooden beam that kept the sails up, the feline sending an apologetic look to the Captain for the obvious marks he made with his claws on the beam. Now that danger was finally gone and nothing but the barrage of concerned remarks filled the air, his actions had finally sunk in. 

Pain and fatigue thrummed beneath his skin and he was hoping he could sleep right then and there, but before he was able to push his way out of the tight circle that his brothers had made, a remark had managed to snatch his attention.

“Min...where’s your necklace?”

Looking down, Minseok gazed at the space that was once filled by the pendant for far too long before he felt someone lay a hand of comfort on his head. Letting out a short chuff, Minseok pulled away from the hand before pushing past the group and into the crew’s quarters, tail drooping down tiredly.

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“Land ho!”

Tearing his eyes from the falling grains of sand, Minseok peeked through the gunport and saw the silhouette of the island growing closer and closer in the distance, but that wasn’t the one that caught his eye. 

A dull glow was shining in the center of the shadowy mass of El Dorado, the shimmering light seemingly repelling the fog of Darkness wherever it tried to move closer to the island. Minseok should have felt nostalgic going back to the now-forgotten place, but looking back at the hourglass, dread loomed over his senses like a shadow. He has less than a day left.

Docking on the sturdiest-looking pier they can find, Chanyeol dropped anchor before they all hopped off the ship, the rotting wood creaking under their weight as they waited for the Captain to finish securing the Lucky One on the dock.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to teleport you back with the ship? I can manage—”

“Easy there, lad. I appreciate the gesture, but,” The Captain cuts him off, setting a hand on the hull. “This be me final voyage. She’s back where she belongs now. ” He pats the varnished wood lovingly before glancing towards the group, settling on a traditional deep bow. “It’s been an honor to have our Guardians as me last passengers.”

“The honor is all ours.” Junmyeon returns the bow. After a brief send-off, Jongin reappears with a stagger, the Captain nowhere in sight. “Let’s go, we have no time to lose.”

The path to their destination was covered in soot and dead leaves, a few upturned masses of land, and the occasional decimated hut greeting them at every turn. This was the place they had lived in for most of their lives to train as Guardians and where most of their memories lived now, but they had no time for nostalgia. 

They were about to create another memory in this forgotten place and it was up to their actions to decide if it’s worth remembering.

Not before long, they have arrived at the bottom of the valley, the shine of the waters more potent than ever. Minseok remembered a labyrinth being there before, one of the obstacles one must need to overcome before they can reach the Spring. But looking at the sight before them, now it was just a sad mass of broken marble pillars. At least they have one less hindrance in their way, right?

With Kyungsoo and Sehun’s abilities, they were able to get through the labyrinth by lifting the debris out of their way, but it was proven to be a bit time-consuming given that they had to be careful enough to pick apart the pillars as to not have everything fall on them. But as they finally stumbled into the clearing, amidst the heady wisps of Darkness threatening to overpower the light was the Spring of Life; their end goal. 

Kneeling down, Junmyeon brushed away the fallen leaves obscuring the rusted plaque that displayed brief information about the Spring, and as Minseok peeked over his shoulder, he could make out a few words carved into the decaying metal:

_Set ...past free, ...granted …life._

“This is it.” Junmyeon raises his hand and glances at the hourglass in his grasp. “And with a few hours to spare. Let’s get this over with.”

Taking a few steps forward, Minseok glanced back to his brothers out of nervousness. All of them seemed to be as tense as he is, but they still gave smiles of reassurance before gesturing back at the Spring. Taking their comforting expressions as encouragement, Minseok returned his gaze towards the waters and padded forward.

The whispers in his head raised their volume to a screech the more Minseok bounded towards the edge of the Spring, yet he tried to pay them no mind. 

This was it. This is what they’ve crossed half of Elyxion for. Minseok can feel all his limbs thrum in excitement for the change no matter how much another part of him despises it. They had made it, he was still in control, and he was going to transform back.

The voices were shouting in gibberish now, their incoherent babbles abruptly filling up Minseok’s mind and making him trip on his feet. As he righted himself with his tail, his ears suddenly picked up shouting from behind, but before he could look back to investigate, a sudden force collided with his side and knocked him away from Spring.

“Pussycat, pussycat, remember me?”

Minseok felt a hand grip at his scruff before he was picked up with ease, his stomach turning into lead when he came face-to-face with the man he scarred from before. Panic surged through the feline as he struggled against the man’s vice-like grip, the latter only chuckling as his other hand unsheathed the bow-shaped sword on his belt.

“I’ve got you a new toy to play with.”

Out of instinct and sheer terror, Minseok brought out his claws and swiped blindly at the man. He managed to bring a few cuts to his face and take him by surprise, but he was already thrown away like a weightless rag doll before he could deal any real damage. His brothers were already by his side right as he got up, ready to face the man before them.

“We’ll take care of him.” Junmyeon’s voice held no room for discussion. “Get to the Spring. Now.”

Minseok grunted and swerved back towards the waters, leaping into the air in an attempt to dive into the magical substance but collided with a wall of shadows instead.

“Oh no, you don’t!”

The large wall circled around the Spring, blocking out most of the light and almost submerging the island in total darkness if it weren’t for Baekhyun creating his own light to spread around the soon-to-be battlefield. Minseok whipped his head around to try and find an opening, but there was not one gap in sight.

“You seem to be forgetting, dear Guardians. This is our turf now.” The man chuckled, playing idly with his sword’s blade. “Just hand over the kitty and I’ll be on my merry way, sounds like a fair deal, no?” 

“We’ve been over this before.” Baekhyun snapped, panting slightly from the energy he was exerting from keeping the lights up. “Don’t make us tell you twice, you treacherous snake!”

“Snake?” He raised an eyebrow mischievously. “Well, why didn’t you say so? I can always pay-” He raised his weapon before striking it blade-first into the ground. “-in _full._ ”

A loud hiss sounded through the area right before the wall of Darkness contorted into something else, something longer and more corporeal. Minseok watched helplessly as the shadows were replaced by smooth midnight scales, two pearly-white fangs, and deep crimson eyes that seemed to bore through his soul. 

Of all the creatures in the world, it had to be a giant fucking cobra.

“Isn’t she a beauty? But you know what they say. It’s the _insides_ that count!” He cackled wildly. “So why don’t y’all take a look and see?”

For a dreadful minute, everyone was at a standstill, staring up at its ruby orbs and wondering where it would pounce. But as soon as its eyes laid on Minseok, it flared up its hood and struck. 

Minseok rolled away just as the cobra’s jaw snapped at the empty space he left. Ducking behind large boulders, his anxiety heightened tenfold when he realized he just left his brothers to fend off the giant reptile, but as soon as he lifted his head out of the stones, he was pulled back down by his scruff. Panicking, Minseok was about to turn and swipe at his perpetrator when a familiar voice rang through the air.

“Minseok, it’s me!” The owner of the hand whisper-shouted. Peeking at the man, the feline was relieved when he realized that it was only Junmyeon. “We need to get you in that Spring. We can distract the snake long enough so that...”

Minseok was already shaking his head adamantly before Junmyeon could relay his plan. He wasn’t about to let his brothers risk their lives and take on the giant snake.

Looking around, Minseok had already shifted his focus somewhere else. His chuff cut off whatever the leader was relaying before he pointed a paw towards something in the distance. Following the eldest’s pointed toe, Junmyeon raised his eyebrows at where he was pointing at.

“The labyrinth, of course! Now we’ll just have to get it inside and—wait! Minseok!”

The snow leopard twisted away from Junmyeon’s grip and had already set off, growling loudly when he saw Junmyeon in tow. He shook his head towards the leader and ran off once again, yowling to capture the attention of the cobra. As luck would have had it, the creature raised its head from Chanyeol and Jongin and began slithering towards Minseok, who was already inside the marble ruins.

He’ll just have to lose the snake inside the structure and let it collapse unto it before turning back towards the Spring. Easy, right?

As he was sprinting beneath the gray rubble while taking note of all his possible turns, Minseok twists his ears behind him only to hear...nothing. Other than the wild beating of his heart and his erratic breathing, there was nothing else for the triangular appendages on his head to pick up on. Stuttering to a halt, Minseok dared to look behind him, but lo and behold, there was no snake in sight. 

He could have sworn he—

A large cobra head suddenly broke through the pillar above him, barely missing his figure thanks to the marble obscuring its jaw long enough for him to roll away. Looking up, Minseok couldn’t help but mentally curse at the predicament he had gotten himself into. 

He had expected for it to go through the labyrinth, not _over_ it.

Ducking under a cluster of pillars, all Minseok could do was follow the twists and turns of the maze and hope he miraculously loses the hissing giant, but with the red eyes watching his every step and ever exit covered by jet-black scales, he was beginning to feel like prey trapped within the coils of the fanged beasts.

“Minseok!”

Minseok ripped his attention away from the path just in time to see a broken pillar stump suddenly shot out of nowhere and hit the cobra straight on the head, making it flail and fall to the ground with a loud crash. Letting out a shaky breath, Minseok spotted Sehun standing on one of the taller pillars, supine hands raised that commanded the breeze that held two more pieces of debris behind him.

“Go! I can-”

Unfortunately, a dark scaly body had quickly wrapped around the pillar he was standing on, squeezing it so tight that it broke under the pressure and made the Wind Guardian stumble and drop his ammunition. The cobra was breathing heavily now, a mix of a low hiss and a growl leaving the reptile at every exhale as it swayed its head closer to the boy.

Horrified, Minseok jumped out of his hiding spot and raced towards the cobra’s tail. Targeting one of the upright pillars beside the tail, the feline slammed his body against the smooth marble surface and toppled it over the giant snake. 

Standing over the trapped tail, the sound of the cobra’s pained hiss was promising to the snow leopard, but as soon as he turned towards the enemy, the cobra’s head was mere inches closer to where he was. Uh oh.

Minseok rolled away and landed on a different part of the cobra’s scaled body just before the creature struck, but not before long, the cobra had begun to move, trying to encircle the feline and trap it within its suffocating embrace. Luckily, Minseok was determined in keeping himself on top of the reptile, claws wedging themselves into the snake’s ebony plates as he rode it like a bucking bronco.

Fed up with its plan not working, the cobra impatiently turned around and struck once more, but this time, its move was already anticipated. Minseok swiftly retracted his claws and let himself slide off the moving giant just as the head shot forward, leaving the cobra to bite itself than the snow leopard. 

Vaulting towards the cobra’s head, Minseok wedged his claws in the reptile’s soft membranes from behind and clung for dear life as the cobra began writhing from the pain flaring from both inside and outside his system.

Minseok wasn’t sure what was happening with the sporadic movement muddling his senses, but as soon as he saw that they were a few feet away from the glowing waters of the Spring, he knew this was his chance.

Climbing to the top of the cobra’s head, Minseok steadied himself on all fours and planned his trajectory to the water, stomach shaking nervously once he realized how high up he actually was.

“No! What are you doing?!” He hears the Orc-man cry, “no, no, NO!” 

Minseok took a deep breath, released his hold on the snake, and jumped.

The clearing was at a standstill as soon as the loud splash broke through the fight. The Orc-man paused mid-swing to turn towards the sound with a curse, but that was enough of a distraction for Jongdae to disarm and knock him off his feet. The lightning-wielder glared daggers at the man as he held the sword over his chin. “It’s over.”

The Red-eye looked fearful for a moment before something out of Jongdae’s peripheral vision caught his eye. Suddenly, the Orc-man grinned wickedly and chuckled. “Look again, sparky.”

A loud yowl pierced through the area and ripped Jongdae’s focus away from the enemy. Breaking through the water's surface was the snow leopard before he swam to shore, but other than that, nothing else was happening.

The feline gazed at them for a moment, showcasing his beady blue eye, before running out of the clearing.

It didn’t work.

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“Ha! After all this time, you still didn’t—”

A punch hit the Orc-man square in the face before he slumped back to the ground, unconscious.

Normally, Junmyeon would have scolded Sehun for acting rashly, but even he was at a loss. They should be embracing their hyung right about now, ruffling the ebony mop of hair on his head before they dog-piled him to the ground. But here they were, staring at the lone trail the snow leopard took to escape to—to MAMA knows where.

After all that they’ve gone through, all the sleepless nights, all the challenges they had to overcome, it ended with...with this?

“No.”

All pairs of eyes turned to Jongin.

“That shouldn’t have been it, right?” He breathed out with disbelief. “Hyung had let go of the one thing that had him rooted to the past! He let go! Surely it would have worked, right ‘Myeon?”

Normally Junmyeon would have answered with some words of reassurance, but for once, even he was at a loss for words. Looking back to the Spring, beyond the dead cobra that was dusting away, the leader couldn’t prevent the cloud of doubt filling his mind. Wasn’t this the Spring? Had its magic dried out? Were they...were they too late?

“It’s over.”

They turned towards the Orc-man after they heard that statement, but found him still unmoving on the floor. If he wasn’t the one who spoke, then who...

“It’s over! We’ve lost.”

Baekhyun had his back turned towards them, but from his shaking fists, they knew he was deeply hurt with the results of the Spring, or the lack thereof. Kyungsoo tries to console the fuming boy by setting a hand on his shoulder.

“Baek—”

“No! I’m saying it because it’s the truth!” The light-wielder snarled, turning towards the rest of the group. “Face it, we’ve failed. We can’t do anything anymore but go home. Take us home, Jongin.”

Shaking his head, Jongin crossed his arms adamantly. “Not without Minseok-hyung.”

“What Minseok-hyung?” Baekhyun snapped, “The one who embraced the Darkness? The beast who’s roaming the forest? That isn’t our brother any more.”

“We still have time!” Chanyeol retorts, taking the hourglass from Junmyeon’s hands to press it towards Baekhyun’s face. “An hour! We still have an hour!”

Baekhyun swats the object away with a sigh. “To do what? Beg for him to come back to us?”

“Actually, yes.”

All heads turn towards Yixing. “Think about it. What was the reason why we’re all here in the first place?”

A wave of silence came and went as they all placed their thoughts on the question. “Because Minseok-hyung was turned into a snow leopard during his solo mission?”

“That’s right, Soo, but _why_ did he take that solo mission?”

“Because he was worried for us if we were to come with him,” Jongin answered. “I wanted to come with him to that mountain, but he kept using his eldest card against me.”

“Exactly. Now doesn’t that sound familiar, hmm?” The healer turns to the leader. “Doesn’t that ring any bells, Jun?”

“Of course. He’s been using that excuse since two years ago.” Junmyeon answers, “It’s like it’s part of his routine or something. It’s a habit that he really needs to get rid—wait a minute.” A wave of realization passed by the leader’s face. “For MAMA’s sake, it’s a habit!”

“We may have gotten the problem out by the roots, but its fruit is still there,” Yixing adds to the elder’s revelation. “It won’t be long before it plants itself into a new tree.”

Silence had spread through the group for a moment before Baekhyun huffs, not looking quite as distraught as before but still quite as skeptical.

“But what does that have to do with the Light Magic not working on hyung?”

“Minseok is terrified for our safety because of what happened, Baek. He may have reconciled with his past, but his habits were born from that fear stayed.” Yixing explains calmly. 

“We’ve seen that in action for the past few days.” Junmyeon adds, “The run-in with the colossi? With this cobra? He finished off both of them by himself.”

“Even if his plans on one of them failed and almost got him killed.” Yixing finishes, “As the Spring requires, all your dreams, fears, and _habits_ should be,” He opened his closed fists in sync. “Let go, and that’s what he needs to do.”

“But how do we make him do that?”

“Simple. We break habits by creating new ones, don’t we?” The healer looks back at his brothers with a determined expression. “Then we’ll make Minseok-hyung realize that he doesn’t need to do this alone, that he needs us just as much as we need him.”

He eyes the ever-growing hill of sand at the bottom of the hourglass. “And now that he’s let go, we need to be there to catch him.”

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“Are you sure he’ll be here?”

“He’s a snow leopard. If he’s going by his instincts then he’ll go the highest place he could go to which is the—”

“The Mountain Palace, we know. That’s why we’re going there.”

Junmyeon wrapped his coat tighter around himself as the harsh wind breezed by, the hair on his arms rising, not only from the frigid temperature, but from the unmistakable yowl in the distance. By MAMA’s hand, he really is here. He silently prays to their deity that Minseok will be in one piece and in control by the time they reach him.

They quickened their pace on the rising trail as the call sounded again, this time a lot softer than the previous one. Exchanging a look with Jongin, the next step Junmyeon took was on broken concrete rather than a dirt path, the entire area contorting into an open space instead of the trees and vines surrounding them a second ago.

They were at the mountain top.

Junmyeon clutched Jongin’s arm to help him steady himself as his eyes wandered around the area, hoping to spot the silver pelt of the turned eldest, but everything in his vision was just gray rocks and dead shrubbery. Oh, and the ruins of the golden palace that once stood proudly on the edge of the mountain.

“Spread out.” He orders, “Minseok shouldn’t have gotten that far.” Junmyeon moved his hand towards the pocket where he was keeping the hourglass, only to realize Baekhyun hadn’t returned it yet. When confronted, the light-wielder guiltily revealed his empty hands, no hourglass in sight, but the leader waved it off. “Just move as if every minute is his last.”

Junmyeon raced to the East with Chanyeol in tow, scouting over the edge of the cliffs in case the snow leopard was running through the half-decimated balconies that were built there. The Mountain Palace used to be this magnificent structure that can be seen all around El Dorado, especially famed for having been built on the side of, well, a mountain.

But as the Water Guardian tried to enter the palace through the side entrance, the wooden floor began to whine and splinter, scaring Chanyeol into gripping the back of the leader’s coat and pulling him back to stable ground just as the board broke under his feet.

Junmyeon shoots the Firestarter a grateful smile, but just as they turned to go back, a yell came from the side.

“He’s here!”

The two Guardians perk up at the cry, stumbling over the broken pieces of wood and debris to race to the sound of the voice. Junmyeon was beginning to think that MAMA had really heard his prayers, but when a flash of silver and blue crossed his vision, he knew They only answered half of it.

The snow leopard was leagues ahead of Baekhyun and Jongdae, sprinting on the path that Junmyeon and Chanyeol were just coming in. The taller male widened his stance in an attempt to block the beast between the two Guardians, but to their surprise, not-Minseok vaulted over them without a single pause and continued his run higher up the mountain.

“Call the others!” Junmyeon cries out, whirling around just in time to see a long furry tail zigzag around a few pillars. “We need to stop him!”

The feline was climbing over the old stone walls by the time they had all gathered back on the place where they appeared, his lapiz-colored eyes fleeting around for his next platform to jump on. Kyungsoo thrust his arms forward and raised a wall before the snow leopard could climb any higher, leaving him to turn tails and move deeper into the ruins.

Junmyeon’s heart was beating as fast as their pace as they chased after the feline. The leader knew that they had the upper hand this time. With the walls bending to the Force Guardian’s will and preventing the leopard from climbing his way out of the ruins, they’ll reach the furry beast in no time.

But what he didn’t realize was that, as much of a skilled climber the feline is, he’s still an ordinary animal.

And it only took a startle from a rising pillar and misstep for him to tumble off a crumbling wall and down into a cliff with a roar.

Skidding to a stop before the edge, Junmyeon raised his arms out to his sides to prevent anyone from jumping after the snow leopard, already fearing the worst when a muffled _thump_ sounded from below. But to his surprise, the roar was only replaced with a whine and right below a wall of broken vines was the wild cat. The void right below the feline brought a shiver to the leader’s spine, but that wasn’t what he focused on.

Junmyeon winced as he saw one of his forelegs bent in an angle that was far from what’s considered normal, but apart from the fracture and his ruffled appearance, the snow leopard was able to raise himself to a sitting position on the ledge and looked up towards them. The vines must have broken his fall.

“He’s back.” He heard Yixing gasp out. “That’s...that’s Minseok!”

The group erupted into exclamations and surprised comments as they all scrambled over the edge, trying their best to get a glimpse of their eldest brother. They all shared the same reactions when their eyes glazed over his leg, but that only fueled their urge to act now and help their hyung even more.

“What should we do?” Jongin gasps, frown deepening as he spots Minseok pawing pitifully at the rocks. 

Kyungsoo studies the area for a bit before he points at the side of the precipice. “Those vines. We can use them to pull Minseok-hyung up.”

But as they moved to descend down the cliff, a loud snarl broke through the tense atmosphere. Minseok was shaking his head wildly at the descending group, trying his best to climb the steep mountainside even with his handicap, but that only sparked more panic amongst his brothers.

“Hyung, no!” Jongdae cried out, “Please, let us help!”

Another whine was heard from below and they all looked at the feline-in-despair, but this was hitting two birds with one stone. It was time for them to show the eldest that he doesn’t have to do this all alone.

  
  


It’s been a while since Minseok had last seen his brothers. He wasn’t sure about where he was or how he got from jumping into the Spring of Life to standing precariously over a bottomless void, but one glance at his furry body had confirmed that he was still a snow leopard. Their plan must have failed, then. 

Now he was stuck on some unknown place with no one else in sight, a fractured leg, and a broken soul to his name. Perhaps the Red-eyed woman was right after all. Everything came full circle and he was back to where he began; all alone after he pushed away his brothers’ help.

But before he could lay down and accept his fate, small stone ledges suddenly began popping out of the side of the mountain, stopping just beside the cluster of vines before three of his brothers climbed down. Minseok peered at their descending figures curiously, but two people suddenly materializing beside him had snatched his focus away from the trio.

“Hi, hyung.” Jongin greets cheerfully. “Let’s get you back to safety.”

Yixing knelt down on one knee to assess the damage on his leg and secured it the best he could with sticks and cloth. Minseok whimpered endlessly, flattening his ears in shame as Yixing chided him gently, but in the end, the healer planted a kiss on his forehead.

“Don’t feel bad we’re helping you.” He smiles, “We’re Guardians, silly. Simple complications don’t break us.”

“And EXO isn’t EXO without you.” Jongin chimed in, turning around just in time to catch the rope of vines Sehun tossed out towards them, securing the feline in a harness-like tie that crisscrossed his upper chest.

Minseok would normally worry himself to death whenever he sees his brothers putting themselves at risk in circumstances such as these, but there was something in this situation that brought warmth to his core instead of sending ice through his spine. Minseok was starting to understand.

Once they had the feline secured, the two returned to the cliff and went to their positions on holding the vine before Junmyeon bellowed out. “EXO! We are!”

“One!”

Minseok began to feel himself rise from the platform and as he looked up, he could see the blonde tuft of hair peeking through the cliff in measured intervals. Using his good paws, Minseok helped ease the load by holding and lifting himself up whenever he could, matching his force with the tugs and making sure he wasn’t being dead weight to his brothers. 

This was the true meaning of their motto. Now, they _are_ one.

  
  


They were all wheezing by the time they had pulled half the feline up the edge, but the grateful eyes of the eldest were more than enough to make it worth it.

Jongdae was the first one to secure a grip on Minseok’s harness. “Welcome back, hyung.”

The younger had a moment to brush his hand through his fur, then he was suddenly thrown back by an unknown force. 

A bow-shaped sword drives itself into Minseok's back just before he falls into the cliff.

But this time, his roar dissolved into silence.

“Bull’s eye.”

Standing before them on a cloud of Darkness was the Orc-man, peering down at the dumbfounded group with a smug expression. 

“Oh, and by the way, you forgot this.” He pulled out the hourglass from his cloak, watching as the last grain from the top fluttered to the bottom before smashing the object with his hands. 

“The new moon has risen.” He eyed the frozen group. “And it’s time for you to fall.”

Dark tendrils closed off their only means of escape but even that hardly got a reaction from any of them. Only when the man’s booming laughter echoed through the cliffs did they decide to look up. To EXO, it was like two years ago it happened all over again, but this time, all of them were present to witness it. Their Minseok was no more.

“Higher-ups better give me a raise after this.” The Orc-man muttered, snapping his fingers before a barrage of knives appeared behind him. “Now, who’s first? Eenie, meenie, miney...you!”

Junmyeon closed his eyes and braced for impact, trying to shield the others the best he could. He hears the shadowy objects colliding into something, yet strangely enough, he doesn’t feel any of it pierce through his body. Braving himself to open his eyes, Junmyeon wasn’t able to contain his gasp when he was faced with a wall.

A wall made of ice.

Glancing up, Junmyeon felt his eyes water as he saw the face he thought he would never see again sitting on the crystal-like structure.

“What are you all standing around for?” Minseok called out, his icy robe flowing in the wind. “Let’s show this bastard what we’re made of!”


	5. Sunrise

Minseok hums quietly to the tune of a song he heard Baekhyun belting earlier in the day as he finishes polishing off the newly fixed window pane, thumb caressing the crack-less glass for a moment before sharing a high-five with Junmyeon as they surveyed their hard work.

“There won’t be any Red-eyes in our house anytime soon.” Minseok declares as he stretches his arms behind his head. 

Meanwhile, Junmyeon snorts. “After the stunt you pulled in El Dorado? There won’t _be_ any Red-eyes anytime soon.”

“It’s quite a shame we weren’t able to free that place from the Darkness.”

“We’ll cross the bridge when we get there.” Junmyeon pats the eldest man’s shoulder. “One problem at a time.”

Minseok shares a smile with the leader before he hears the doorknob click. Turning around, he instinctively threw his rag at the open door, nailing the first person who entered in the face.

“What?! Hyuuuung!”

“Shoes off, now.” 

Jongdae huffed, peeling the dirty piece of cloth off his face before throwing it back to the owner. “We’ll be going out in a few minutes anyway! Can’t you make an exception?”

Minseok glanced upwards and tapped his chin to show as if he was considering it, before shaking his head with a smirk, making Jongdae whine all over again.

“No one’s entering with their footwear.” Minseok states with finality in his tone, leaving the room briefly to return his cleaning materials. “That goes for you too, Sehunnie!”

The grumble-whine combination might as well be the eldest Guardian’s theme song every afternoon due to its constancy, and sooner or later, he might have one of the maknaes running to seek his help when they annoyed one of the elders (or Kyungsoo) too much. 

But it's not like he’s complaining. It was infinitely better than the voices of Darkness that threatened to take over his system.

Phantom whispers passed through his mind and Minseok couldn’t suppress a shiver, setting down the rag on one of the hallway tables as he steadied himself. He couldn’t remember what exactly happened after he threw himself into the Spring of Life, the flashbacks of vision too muddled and confusing to even know where to begin with. 

His thoughts wandered _after_ he turned back, but even that was slightly blurry. Well, he remembered beating the absolute crap out of the man-orc thing (and he might have leveled the entire mountain in the process), but other than that, he recalls passing out in Yixing’s arms. 

It all felt like a dream that lingered even after a week had passed; a nightmare he thought he wouldn’t wake up from... 

The boisterous laughter that definitely belonged to Chanyeol echoed from the common room and through the halls, knocking Minseok out of his own thoughts before he could venture deeper. Shaking his head, he opened the table drawer and placed the rag inside before swiftly going back to the brightly lit room. With the help of his brothers, it was finally over.

The dream has ended, this is the morning.

And what’s better to wake up with a smile?

“‘Seokkie-hyung! Save me!”

Ahh, and there it is.

He plants his feet firmly on the ground just as the light-wielder came into view and hid behind his back, reciting excuse after excuse as a glaring Kyungsoo bounded towards them with a spatula in hand.

“I ought to ban you from the kitchen if you keep stealing everything I make!”

Baekhyun cowers behind Minseok as the eldest looks on with an amused expression. “But Jongin does that all the time! Why don’t you reprimand him too?!”

“Because I don’t steal them! I ask Soo first.” Jongin calls out from behind the couch. “Besides, I don’t hide myself in illusions just to take a cookie.”

Baekhyun gapes at this for a moment, but before he could make a comeback, he was already being pulled away from the eldest by their resident chef. For a split second, Minseok felt the younger press something in his hands as the latter winks, mouths the word “enjoy!” before letting himself get corralled to the kitchen.

Looking down, sitting on his palms was a half-eaten pastry. Minseok rolls his eyes but eats it anyway. 

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“A few blocks...from our house...my _ass_.”

“You’re just getting old, hyung.”

“Shut up! Sehun was complaining like this five minutes ago.” Minseok turns to his side to glare playfully at Yixing, who gives a dimpled smile and a shrug. “Besides, I’m the fittest of us all. I earned these rights.”

The healer was about to fire back another comment when a familiar obelisk rose up to their view. He lets his words die down in his throat in favor of watching the ebony-haired male look at the structure in wonder.

Minseok was nervous. He didn’t know why nor he had a reason to be all jittery, yet the skittish feeling was still there. _These are his brothers he’s visiting_ , Minseok reminds himself, _not the emperor of the sea or anything_. But somehow, he feels like having tea and soggy biscuits with the latter would be a lot less nerve-wracking than this.

“Oh, would you look at that.” He finds himself muttering, but he honestly couldn’t help it. Right before the obelisk was none other than the Tree of Life, err, Sapling of Life. But what piques his interest the most were the dozens of flowers blooming from its small branches. Jongin glances at the flowers confusedly. “I’ve never seen black roses on here before. And don’t they grow on bushes-?”

Kyungsoo immediately shushes him, leaving him to wonder all of these strange things on his own. Then again, this is Elyxion. Everything is weird, and when everything is weird, nothing is.

Junmyeon was the first to nudge Minseok forward, locking his arm with the other’s. “There they are, hyung.”

The eldest smiles at the leader before shifting back his focus towards the three gravestones surrounding the obelisk. Stepping towards the polished quartz whilst keeping Junmyeon’s hand in his, he hesitantly placed a hand on the obelisk’s tiled surface, and a rush of emotion washed over him like never before.

“I’m here.”

Minseok’s eyes watered in a matter of moments and he didn't put much effort into keeping them at bay. 

“Hyung is finally here.” He kneels before the three marble stones before him. “Hyung is finally on time.”

As the tears slide down Minseok’s rosy cheeks, he turns and embraces the person closest to him before finally letting go. He sobs heavily into the firm shoulder of his brother before he felt arms wrap around him from all sides.

And for once in a long time,

He was free.


End file.
